from the Australian today
In his first big decision as he puts his stamp on his new role as Defence Industry Minister, Christopher Pyne will today announce international companies tendering to supply 225 new armoured vehicles for the Australian Defence Force must ensure as much work as possible is done in Australia.
This second stage of the $10 billion-plus, four phase Land 400 program is for the 225 combat reconnaissance vehicles for the army that will replace the ageing fleet of 250 ASLAV light armoured vehicles.
In October, The Australian revealed that the first stage of the program, for 1100 armoured patrol vehicles and 1000 trailers to replace the army’s Land Rovers had been won by the Hawkei, designed and built by Thales Australia at its plant in Bendigo, where hundreds of the highly successful but larger Bushmaster troop carriers have been built.
With a decision on phase 2 due soon, Mr Pyne said last night Defence would run workshops around Australia where local industry could showcase their capabilities to the international manufacturers leading the bids.
He said a review by Deloitte Australia found clear alignment between the tender evaluation process for the new vehicles and the direction and priorities of the industry policy statement released with the defence white paper. “The Turnbull government is committed to maximising Australian industry involvement during the next stage of the evaluation process and Defence will continue to work collaboratively with companies as part of a broader Australian industry program,” Mr Pyne said. Defence would consider a series of costed options from contenders for different levels of Australian industry participation.
EOS Price at posting:
$1.83 Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
