Flat steel producer BlueScope and Rheinmetall Defence Australia today signed a teaming agreement that will see the Port Kembla based company working to potentially deliver thousands of tonnes of feedstock for the local production of high performance armour steel for a new national military vehicle industry.
Back in October last year, Rheinmetall and Wollongong-based steel products supplier Bisalloy partnered to manufacture high performance steel to meet the protection levels required on the Boxer 8x8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) being pitched for Land 400 Phase 2. Bluescope will now provide the raw product to Bisalloy for the manufacture of armour to the standard required by the Land 400 bidder.
Bisalloy and Rheinmetall are working to complete a stringent certification process that would see Australia producing top grade armour on par with that currently produced by European suppliers for the German-headquartered company.
Bisalloy business manager (Armour) Justin Suwart told ADM that just yesterday the company had received its first order to supply armoured steel product into Germany.
"It looks like they’re going to do a lot of testing on our steel to see if it’s suitable for that application."
Bisalloy has also signed a $900k contract with Israeli defence systems supplier Rafael to produce a new specified grade of steel armour for use in the company's add-on armour range.