I am pleased to today announce a $10 million development phase in the upgrade of 350 M113 armoured personnel carriers.
This announcement follows confirmation in the Defence White Paper "Defence 2000: Our Future Defence Force" that the major upgrade of the armoured personnel carrier fleet will be a key element in a program of rapid enhancement for land force combat capabilities.
The 350 vehicles will be upgraded to provide a high level capability for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with enhanced protection, mobility, habitability and firepower.
The upgrade program will deliver a first class close combat capability, the importance of which was highlighted by the M113's successful performance in East Timor.
The upgrade will address a number of safety issues with the M113. The results of ongoing studies into the affects of M113 diesel exhaust emissions will be factored into the tender specifications.
The Project Definition Phase announced will involve the production of a mock-up vehicle and the continuation of turret development. This work is to be carried out by the Australian prime contractor, Tenix Defence Systems, at its Adelaide based Systems Division.
In the longer term, production of the upgraded fleet is expected to occur at Army's Southern Logistic Group facility in the Albury/Wodonga area.
In addition to improving and sustaining an important ADF capability, the project will produce job opportunities in Adelaide and the Albury/Wodonga region in fields such as engineering design, project management, integrated logistic support, installation and assembly.
Australian industry will also benefit in the long term through the technology transfer of modern vehicle and weapon system technology.
The M113 Upgrade represents another boost to the Australian Defence industry, following the Government's recent commitment to 150 additional Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) to be produced by General Motors Defence (GMD) in Adelaide.
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Go-Ahead Announced For M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers
