Northrop Grumman has received a contract to install its Mk44 Bushmaster chain guns on the Australian Army’s Hanwha Redback infantry fighting vehicles.
Under the deal, the U.S.-based company will produce 129 units of MK44.
Northrop said it will work closely with Hanwha Defense Australia to integrate the chain guns into the IFVs.
According to Jennifer Zonneveld, director of Bushmaster Chain Guns at Northrop Grumman, the MK44s are international customers’ automatic cannon of choice due to their performance and reliability.
“Northrop Grumman is providing the Australian Army with the most advanced medium caliber capability in the world, maintaining the system’s relevancy for years to come,” Zonneveld said.
The Bushmaster chain guns support interoperability with the advanced ammunition suite that Northrop has developed for the U.S. Army.
The suite features airburst munition, armor piercing and proximity fuze ammunition, allowing IFV crewmembers to defeat ground and aerial threats by selecting the optimal ammunition.
Over 20,000 Bushmaster chain guns are used by land, air and sea-based combat platforms in 65 countries.