The Israeli defense company Plasan is partnering with Hanwha Defense Australia to deliver a comprehensive survivability package for the Australian Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). Plasan is responsible for the Redback’s overall survivability and played a significant role in transforming Hanwha’s original K21 design into the Australian Redback. The Redback’s is designed to defeat the highest threats, including mine blasts, kinetic impacts, top attacks, and others. The protection design of the Redback is the result of collaboration between Plasan and both Hanwha Aerospace, responsible for the hull protection design, and Elbit Systems, responsible for the turret protection design.
Plasan wishes to congratulate partners at Hanwha Defense Australia, Hanwha Aerospace, and Elbit Systems Land for being down-selected as the preferred tenderer under the LAND 400 Phase 3, and subject to successful negotiations, looks forward to continue this journey towards the transition of the Redback design into serial production and delivery into the use of the Australian Army. Plasan’s cooperation with HDA (Hanwha Defence Australia) for the last four years, has proven to be an exceptionally productive journey that materialized with the birth of the Huntsman (the AS9 SPH and AS10 AARV under Land 8116) and the state-of-the-art Redback IFV, which has been developed for the LAND400 Phase 3 program about which an award announcement is expected shortly.
Plasan has a successful history in Australia, the most significant achievement of which to date is the Hawkei program. Currently, Plasan’s cooperation with BAE Australia is taking it on board the Hunter Class frigate, a project which was kicked off in February, incorporating Australian sourced Armor Steel by Bisalloy into Plasan’s survivability solutions. Plasan’s core competencies of protection technologies and vehicle and systems upgrades are capabilities highlighted by the Australian Department of Defence as critical industrial capabilities and the establishment of Plasan-Australia to support Land400 Phase 3 will ensure that the supply-chain to provide these technologies and support them in the coming decades is brought and maintained in Australia.
Plasan (incorporated as Plasan Sasa Ltd. and formerly as Plasan Sasa (ACS) Ltd.) is an Israeli based vehicle manufacturer. Plasan Sasa was established in 1985, and develops, manufactures, and assembles custom-built vehicle armor systems and chassis up-armor designs as well as Add-On Armor Protection Kits for lightweight military tactical trucks and armoured personnel carriers, for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, commercial vehicles, and is a major supplier of personnel protection armor. Plasan is a non-public company and is wholly owned by Kibbutz Sasa, a communal village of some 100 families in Northern Israel. It employs 1,300 people, including 650 in the United States and 180 in France.
