South Korea’s Hanwha Defense has forged a team with U.S. military vehicle maker Oshkosh Corp. to compete in the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) competition, according to an April 19 company statement.

According to a company news release, Hanwha Defense has signed an exclusive teaming agreement with Oshkosh Defense for the digital design phase of the U.S. Army’s next-generation combat vehicle program.

The OMFV program is a key element of the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle modernization effort that includes replacing the M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle which has seen service since the early 1980s. The program’s five phase acquisition plan will award the first contract in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2021, with the first units receiving their OMFVs in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2028.

“Bringing together the heritage of two innovative, reliable, and successful land systems companies, gives me great confidence that Hanwha and Oshkosh, with our other consortium partners, will deliver the next generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle the American Soldier clearly deserves,” said the head of Hanwha Defense’s U.S. operations, Lieutenant General Bernard S. Champoux, U.S. Army, Retired.

Hanwha Defense is the leading wheeled and tracked combat vehicle and weapons systems developer in the Republic of Korea with a half century of accumulated experience, capabilities, and technology in multiple proven direct and indirect fire solutions. Expanding its global vision, Hanwha Defense has provided over 7,000 cutting edge combat vehicles to the Republic of Korea and exports to Malaysia, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Turkey, and India.

Hanwha Defense has designed and is developing the world’s most advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the Redback, for Australia with its enhanced lethality, excellent power, superior situational awareness, and best protection in class. The Redback was shortlisted in 2019 as one of the two final candidates for the LAND 400 Phase 3 program, with three prototype vehicles are now undergoing tests and evaluations for the Australian Army’s Risk Mitigation Activity.

Hanwha shares Oshkosh’s demonstrated passion for quality and responsiveness to the customer. Like Australian and numerous other partner countries’ local production, Hanwha’s contribution to the OMFV solution will be built in America with American labor.