Thales Australia team set to respond to Protected Mobility Vehicle - Light RFP
11 June 2009
Thales Australia today welcomed the release of a Request for Proposal by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, the Hon. Greg Combet, for the supply of Australian designed and manufactured prototype vehicles for the Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) requirement for the LAND 121 Phase 4 program.
Under LAND 121 Phase 4, Australia will procure 1,300 PMV-L vehicles and trailers to replace Army’s existing fleet of Land Rovers. A total of four variants of the PMV-L will be procured – Command, Liaison, Reconnaissance and Utility – all offering very high levels of protection from small arms fire, mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The Australian PMV-L offers a significant opportunity for Australian industry to build on the impressive pedigree already established with Thales’s highly successful Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle. The Bushmaster has seen active service with three nations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is attracting further significant export interest.
Thales Australia Managing Director Chris Jenkins said Thales Australia was geared to respond to the RFP with an experienced specialist design team that has been at work in Bendigo on the Australian PMV-L design since 2008.
“Our team has over a decade of experience in the design, manufacture, qualification and operational support of these high-end protected mobility vehicles such as the Bushmaster. “We have learnt many lessons from the Bushmaster program, and will also be partnering with expert teams both within Australia and internationally to ensure this new vehicle meets the needs of the Army.
“The rest of the world is only just catching up to what Australia achieved with the Bushmaster many years ago. We are looking to the future and the next generation of vehicle system design for the PMV-L.
“With our troops engaged in increasingly dangerous environments, providing our military with the best possible combination of protection, mobility, payload and integrated mission systems has always been our aim.
“Our solution is one that is optimised for Australia’s PMV-L requirements, supporting significant Australian jobs in regional areas, and also offering Australia substantial export earning potential for the future. In these difficult economic times these are critical considerations for any government.”
Mr Jenkins said the strong commitment in the recently announced Defence White Paper to “growing the capacity and competitiveness of local defence industry” was reflected in the government’s decision to go ahead with an Australian designed and manufactured option for the PMV-L project.
“The Australian Light Protected Vehicle will provide the Australian Defence Force with the next generation, networked and protected vehicle system to meet the requirements of Land 121 Phase 4 – Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light.”
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008, the company generated revenues of 12.7 billion euros (equivalent of AUD22.1 billion) with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.
Thales Australia is a trusted partner of the Australian Defence Force and is also present in commercial sectors ranging from air traffic management to security systems and services. Employing around 3,500 people in over 35 sites across the country, Thales Australia recorded revenues of more than AUD1 billion in 2008.
Press contacts
Gary Dawson
Thales Australia
+61 (0)2 9562 3955
+61 (0) 432 751 578
gary.dawson@thalesgroup.com.au
Aude Colas des Francs
Thales Land and Joint Systems
Tel: +33 1 46 13 20 86
mailto:aude.colasdesfrancs@fr.thalesgroup.com
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