vehicle, a flatbed/cargo derivative of the Bushmaster IMV, and in a recently introduced bottom-end payload category.
It is understood this recently added category (which is believed to call for around 350 vehicles) was added to the MHC segment of Phase 3 when it became apparent that with a required increase in protection the payload allowance of the selected LLC segment vehicle (the G-Class) would be insufficient for certain roles. Once in service the vehicles selected under Land 121 Phase 3 MHC will replace the 1,295 4-tonne payload Mercedes-Benz Unimog (4x4) medium trucks delivered between 1982-1987, and the 925 8-tonne payload Mack RM6866RS (6x6) heavy truck delivered between 1981-1988. If one wishes to be pedantic, it could be added that technically the recently introduced Phase 3 MHC bottom- end payload category will cover roles currently performed by Land Rover (6x6) vehicles, and the Phase 3 Bushmaster purchase could also perform troop carrying roles currently performed by Land Rover (6x6) vehicles.
Also in October 2008, the Australian government announced approval to commence planning for Phase 4 of Land 121. Phase 4 will replace the 1,300 Land Rovers not
replaced under Phase 3 (light vehicle segment) with a fleet of protected light mobility vehicles. As part of a plan to examine all options for Land 121 Phase 4, Australia announced that it would participate in the technology demonstration phase of the United States’ Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. Additionally, Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) issued a request for proposal (RFP) on 12 June 2009 for an AUD1.8 billion (USD1.44 billion) requirement for a light protected mobility vehicle (PMV-L) with at least 50 per cent of the production costs to occur in Australia. Responses to the RFP, which could see domestic manufacturers competing against the successful contender for the US Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) programme, were due by 30 Sept 2009.
The RFP seeks information on an Australian-manufactured option for Land 121 Phase 4, under which 1,300 new vehicles will provide an increased level of ballistic and blast protection over the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) existing light assets. Testing of PMV-L prototypes is scheduled to commence in December 2010. Land 121 Phase 5 will provide the ADF with an estimated 2,000 unprotected Commercial-Off-The- Shelf (COTS) vehicles that will serve in
the ‘raise, train and sustain’ functions, thereby replacing the remainder of the current fleet. First Pass Approval for this phase was expected in the last quarter of 2009, but this is understood to have slipped to around 2012. Budgetary constraints are likely to be a key influencer with any Land 121 Phase 5 purchase, the all-important through-life costings suggesting that a degree of commonality with those vehicles procured under Phase 3 will be desirable. Such a move would clearly favour either MAN or Mercedes-Benz (the successful Phase 3 MHC bidders), as while a cheaper to procure COTS and not MOTS solution is highly likely to be the desired options for Phase 5, there is a high degree of commonality between the MOTS and COTS offerings of both MAN and Mercedes-Benz, this factor putting any additional bidders at a significant disadvantage from the outset. As this piece was passing for press it was announced that as part of Land 121, Haulmark Trailers had been awarded a $70 million contract to supply 973 trailers to the ADF to operate with the G-Class fleet.
Shaun Connors Defence Journalist
Mercedes Benz Actros for Land 121. Photo credit Mercedes Benz
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