CANBERRA- 4 May 2007: Raytheon Australia today announced it has teamed with Samsung Techwin to bid for the Australian Army’s Land 17 Artillery Replacement Program.

Responding to the Commonwealth's industry brief, Raytheon Australia has developed an integrated solution for artillery replacement, including logistic support and training.

"Raytheon Australia will bid as the Prime Systems Integrator (PSI) for Land 17, offering a solution based around Raytheon’s proven AFATDS command and control (C2) system and Samsung Techwin’s K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer," said Raytheon Australia’s Managing Director, Ron Fisher. “The Australian version of the gun will be called the AS-9.”

"Importantly, in today’s joint and coalition environments, the solution must interface reliably with the broader Army and ADF C2 and Joint Fires architectures. We’ve moved ahead on that basis to combine Raytheon Australia’s proven performance as a PSI with Samsung Techwin’s tremendous production capacity and reputation for high quality engineering," said Fisher.

As PSI, Raytheon Australia is focussed on much more than simply delivering a new platform to the Australian Army.

“In addition to the Package A C2 requirement and the Package B self-propelled howitzer, we intend to offer a protected ammunition resupply vehicle (ARV) for the AS-9—the only one of its type in the world—as well as a Package D option for an upgrade for the in-service M198 155mm towed howitzer fleet to deliver reduced weight and a modern weapon management system (WMS)," Mr Fisher said.

"We are engaged in discussions to maximise Australian industry involvement in the areas of manufacturing and through-life support, and our Australian and international partners have the demonstrated capacity to support the program over the long term," he said.

“We are therefore confident that our solution will offer excellent value for money and a first-rate solution for the Australian Army’s indirect firepower needs.”

Mr Fisher believes that integration is both the major area of risk for Land 17 and the key to program success.

"This isn’t just about buying a gun," he stressed. "Commonwealth risk will be reduced through the appointment of a PSI to manage all aspects of system integration."

"As PSI, Raytheon Australia will reduce technical risk through the use of proven sub-systems, common elements, and a team with proven performance in all areas of program execution and delivery." 

AFATDS is used in all echelons of the US Army and in the US Marine Corps, as well as being fitted in several ships to support amphibious operations. It operates with all current and planned US fire support systems as well as UK and other NATO systems. 

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With facilities located across the country, Raytheon Australia is a highly capable prime contractor with an engineering and technical workforce of over 1200 backed by world-class management and quality systems. This local presence is bolstered by strong relationships with small and medium sized enterprises and access to the global resources of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN). 

Raytheon Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN). Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of US$20.3 billion, is a technology leader specialising in defence, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Samsung Techwin is a subsidiary of the Samsung Group of Companies. Samsung Group, with 2005 sales of US$140.9 billion, is an industry leader in the commercial, defence and electronic sectors. Samsung Techwin has the K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer in full production, with over 10 years worth of orders for the South Korean army and other customers around the world. The K9 is recognised as the market leader in the next generation of self-propelled howitzers, currently on track to hold more than 30% of the world market by 2015. In addition to a large South Korean workforce, the Samsung Group employs 128,000 personnel in 120 offices worldwide.