Safran's PASEO Crystal forward observation sight will be fitted onto the Australian Army's Redback IFV. (Safran)
Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) has signed contracts with European firms Safran and Rohde & Schwarz to support its programme to supply Redback infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Australian Army.
The deal with Safran integrates the firm's PASEO Joint Fires day-and-night panoramic sight onto the Redback and the deal with Rohde & Schwarz is centred on the provision of an electromagnetic testing system for the vehicles. The contracts were announced at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition in Melbourne, which ends 13 September.
Safran confirmed to Janes that the PASEO model to be fitted onto the Redback will be the Crystal, which is described by the company as an “artillery forward observation, acquisition, and designation sight that relies on all features and performance of the PASEO”.
According to Safran, the PASEO Crystal is a cooled thermal imager, which operates in the 3–5 μm spectral bands and provides up to a 360° panoramic view of a scene. It incorporates a rangefinder of more than 7 km and a laser designator range of more than 6 km. It also features an embedded Onyx inertial navigation system, which Safran said can provide precise positioning in a global navigation satellite services (GNSS)-denied environment.
“The PASEO Joint Fires solution provides the long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance sensor for the Redback. The contract calls for the production and delivery of PASEO Joint Fires sensors and associated ancillaries,” said Safran.
Rohde & Schwarz said its contract with Redback will integrate an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test system at the facility at which HDA is manufacturing the Redback vehicles in Geelong, near Melbourne.
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