Katherine Ziesing | Canberra

The CBRN program that is Land 2110 has hit a milestone with the teams led by GHD and Lockheed Martin making it through to the next phase. The Saab Australia bid was compliant but too expensive, according to industry sources close to the program.

Land 2110 Phase 1B aims to improve the ADF Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Defence (CBRND) capability through the protection of personnel from the strategic, tactical and physiological impacts of exposure to Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs), Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs) and CBRN weapons.

"The program office was understood to be favouring a thin prime approach given the disparate technologies being acquired."

Land 2110 Phase 1B is focused on the typical capability elements of CBRN defence: detection identification and monitoring, warning and reporting, physical protection (personal and collective), hazard management, containment and decontamination, medical support and training mechanisms.

The program covers everything from detectors through to suits and requires a level of integration between the numerous elements being procured. The program office was understood to be favouring a thin prime approach given the disparate technologies being acquired, but how this will play out given the down selected field remains to be seen.

The program has been running in some way shape or form since the market survey was released in 2010 with another survey in 2012.