Rheinmetall's Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), one of two currently in consideration for Land 400 Phase 3, has been disqualified from the US program to replace the Bradley IFVs with an optionally-manned successor.
US media reports indicate that Rheinmetall was unable to meet the US Army's requirement to deliver a working Lynx 41 vehicle to Maryland by 1 October. Only one Lynx 41 exists and is based at the company's facility in Germany.
The reports cite sources that suggest Rheinmetall was unable to get permission from the local municipal council to move the vehicle by trailer or rail, and then by air, within the tight timeframe required by the US. A four week extension and an offer to hand the vehicle to the US Army in Germany were reportedly made and denied.
Other companies are also understood to have expressed concern over the tight schedule.
The news leaves just one contender for the program - an unrevealed offering from General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). Hanwha, which is in competition with Rheinmetall for Australia's IFV replacement, did not submit a bid.
The US Army intended to accept delivery of bid samples before choosing two companies to deliver 14 vehicles, with a final winner to be decided after further tests. The Bradleys would then start being replaced by 2026.
It is unclear whether the US Army will persist with just the GDLS offering in the running, or what impact the decision might have on Australia's Land 400 Phase 3 program.