Melbourne manufacturer Tectonica Australia has won a $25 million contract to provide sophisticated camera technology aimed at boosting safety for the Army’s Boxer armoured vehicles.
The ALTERA Local Situation Awareness System (LSAS) uses visual technologies to provide vehicle crews and operators with improved situational awareness by enabling them to see their surrounding environment by day and by night while remaining protected under armour.
This is the second Land 400 Phase 2 contract awarded to Tectonica, following on from the September 2019 award to install LSAS on vehicles on the early capability delivery fleet of Boxers currently being built in Europe.
“Tectonica Australia’s Local Situational Awareness System will provide vehicle crew and operators with improved situational awareness by day and by night,” Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said.
“The expertise and quality of Australia’s defence industry will ensure the ADF is supplied with a world-leading capability,” Minister Price said.
“For these Australian companies, the real potential here is their relationship with Rheinmetall and the ongoing opportunities to partner with them for their projects both here and in Europe.”
Specifically, Tectonica has also secured a significant export contract to design, develop, manufacture, and export its BANTAM data and power distribution system to the Germany Army under a contract with Rheinmetall Electronics. The technology will be deployed through the Bundeswehr’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) and is fitted to every soldier wearing a computerised backpack.
Developed in Australia, with the support of the Defence Science & Technology and the ADF to reduce the bulk and weight carried by soldiers, the BANTAMTM power system distributes power from a central source.
Three other Australian businesses – Sydney-based GPC Electronics, Adelaide-based Century Manufacturing and Yerriyong-based Air Affairs Australia – will share in $8 million worth of work to provide the processing and storage components for high performance computing and network devices.
These devices, known as Tactical Edge Servers, are designed and developed by Boeing Defence Australia.
“This world class technology is locally designed, produced and maintained by Australian companies, and will be serviced through a local supply chain,” Minister Price said.
The Block II 8x8 Boxer vehicles are being assembled for the Australian Army at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Queensland.