A Request for Tender (RfT) involving the replacement of Remote Positioning Vehicles (RPVs) used by the ADF across all three services in anti-improvised explosive device (IED) operations was released by Defence on 25 July.
The RfT, closing on 16 September, says the current fleet of RPVs is reaching life-of-type and is experiencing supportability problems. The requirement involves 40 light RPVs, 80 medium RPVs, and 30 heavy RPVs.
The new equipment will be acquired under Project Land 154 Phase 4. This is delivering counter-IED capability across the joint force in force protection electronic countermeasures; search; neutralisation; and exploitation segments. The RPVs will form part of the neutralisation capability.
Performance trials for selected tenderers will take place in January-February 2022, with contract execution in November 2022 and delivery by October 2023, the RfP states.
The robots to be replaced have not been confirmed by Defence but are understood to comprise the Dragon Runner (light); Talon (medium); and tEODOR (heavy) unmanned ground systems.