Elbit Systems of Australia (ELSA) and the industry partners comprising Team Sentinel have begun 2016 in a flurry of activity as vehicles are prepared and made ready in anticipation for involvement in the Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) for Phase 2 of Land 400.
Elsa confirmed with DTR that as of early February vehicle hulls and turrets were being finalised in Singapore and Israel respectively prior to shipment to Australia for integration, fine tuning and final testing.
“All major components will be assembled and integrated in Tasmania,” said ELSA.
Hull derived from the Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) Terrex-2 8×8 and Elbit’s MT30 turrets will arrive in Burnie, Tasmania, for integration, whilst Caterpillar will install the 6-cylinder C.9.3 ACERT 600hp diesel engine into the three vehicles.
Primed by ELSA, Team Sentinel proposes the Sentinel II to meet the Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) requirement. Sentinel II is a marriage of a version of the Terrex 2 fitted with the MT30 turret and underpinned by a proven networked combat system that is the next generation of the Australian Army’s current battle management system (BMS).
The MT30 is an update and re-working of Elbit’s in-service UT30 unmanned overhead weapon station, with sights and sensors relocated internally rather than mostly externally. Armament consist of the Orbital ATK Mk 44 Bushmaster II 30mm automatic dual-feed cannon and 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. The MT30 has the Rafael Spike-LR anti-tank guided weapon already integrated.
According to a spokesperson from W&Platt, which would build the MT30 in Australia should the ELSA bid prove successful, the MT30 is fully integrated with the next iteration of the Army’s BMS. The BMS capability networks the Sentinel II’s weapon, detection and active protection systems to provide cavalry crews with a collective hunter-killer capability and a collaborative, 360° force protection capability.
The MT30 is understood to have been purchased recently by two international customers for use on both wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, with the former application adopting the 30mm version and the latter the M242 Bushmaster 25mm chain gun.
In concert with senior bid partner SAIC, STK has been contracted to deliver up to 16 Terrex 2 vehicles for the engineering, manufacturing development phase of the US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle Phase 1, Increment 1 program. Vehicle delivery is required in the third quarter of 2016.