At Eurosatory 2016 Rheinmetall has presented its new Lynx infantry fighting vehicle and Land 400 contender to the international public for the first time.

On the surface, one of the surprises delivered by the recent Defence Integrated Investment Program (DIIP) was the plan to replace Army’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) from the middle of the next decade.

News last week that the Risk Mitigation Activity for Phase 2 of Land 400 will be re-examined is a mixed blessing.

Ground based air defence (GBAD) for the Army has been a long time in the making under the various phases of Land 19. ADM examines what we currently have in play and where the program is likely to go in terms of technology and concepts under later phases.

Nearly 10 years after the first of three RfIs for Project Land 400 was issued, the process that will create a shortlist of contenders for the most expensive element of Army’s most-expensive capability program is now under way.

In the case of the Patria AMV35 contesting Project Land 400 Phase 2 there is a discernable difference – it mounts a larger, more powerful gun than its three competitors.

Although overshadowed by the commentary and rhetoric in response to major naval shipbuilding projects, the Land sector is now moving into the spotlight.

The first of 30,000 new EF88 service rifles have been issued by the ADF in parallel with the rollout of a new Soldier Combat Ensemble (SCE) comprising load carriage equipment and protective kit that includes new-generation body armour, combat helmets, and hearing and eye protection.

As armies continue to modernise in the 21st century, effective Situational Awareness (SA) for commanders of troops, vehicles and equipment is a challenge for every military force, especially with the requirement for leaner and more agile forces in an age of rapid, asymmetric international operations.

With the Mercedes Benz G-Wagon set to become the most numerous vehicle in Australian military service, Defence is testing a health monitoring system that will help save money and get the best out of the fleet across a service life that may span more than three decades.

Kongsberg has roughly 75 per cent of the global Remote Weapon Station (RWS) market, with a strong focus on what they to call being a ‘lethality exemplar’.

A Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) capability was rapidly acquired by the ADF in 2010 to protect the Australian Army’s main operating base at Tarin Kot and other forward operating bases in Afghanistan. What will happen to the capability now?

The digitisation of Army achieved a significant milestone on March 27 when the previous Chief of Army, Lieutenant-General David Morrison declared Final Operational Capability (FOC) on Tranche 1 of Project Land 200.

Meggitt Training Systems Australia (MTSA) delivered five Weapons Training Simulation Systems (WTSS) at bases across Australia under Army Minor Project AMP029.44 and is also upgrading 18 existing WTSS facilities to bring them up to a similar standard as well as providing enhanced weapon simulator capability.

While neither Rheinmetall nor Northrop Grumman will confirm that they are teaming for Land 400, the stars point toward such an alignment. The Boxer is the big boy of the competition, being larger and heavier than most in the field but this brings with it an added level of protection.

BAE Systems Australia believes it will mount a compelling response to the Land 400 Phase 2 request for tender, teaming its own global and local experience with one of the world’s most successful eight-wheeled armoured vehicles, Finland’s Patria AMV.