Israeli vehicle manufacturer Plasan Sasa has announced its intention to establish a local subsidiary in Australia to be named Plasan-Australia.
The subsidiary will aim to support local partners and Australian projects including enhancing transfer of technology efforts.
“The long term experience and substantial understanding of Australia defense strategic needs for the next decade, as well as the importance for Australia to acquire core and critical technologies and capabilities, have led us to decide to amplify our presence in Australia as well as to shift our supply chain to Australian industry to the widest possible extent," Dani Ziv, CEO said. "The establishment of Plasan-Australia will solidify this presence.”
Plasan describes its cooperation with Thales on the Hawkei program as its most significant achievement to date in the region. Early collaboration with Thales Australia starting in 2009 resulted in a partnership for Land 121 Phase 4 which led to the creation and win of the Hawkei, whose cabin was designed, tested and produced by Plasan.
Currently, Plasan is working with BAE Australia on the Hunter Class frigate, incorporating Australian sourced Armor Steel by Bisalloy into Plasan’s survivability solutions.
Plasan has also cooperated with Hanwha Defense Australia for the last four years on the Huntsman family of vehicles (the AS9 self-propelled howitzer and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle under Land 8116) and now the Redback IFV, which has been developed for the Land 400 Phase 3 program about which an award announcement is expected shortly.
Plasan says the establishment of Plasan-Australia to support Land 400 Phase 3 aims to ensure that the supply-chain to provide these technologies and support them in the coming decades is brought and maintained in Australia.