Leonardo Beats Deadline on C5I Systems For Australian Army

U.S.-based defence contractor Leonardo DRS has announced it has finished supplying its new C5I Battle Management System (BMS) hardware for the Australian Army's heavy armoured vehicles ahead of schedule.

As per a press release on its website, the firm, based in Arlington, Virginia, has completed fulfillment of the contract it won under the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales program to provide the BMS suite to the Australian Army's M1A2Sepv3 Main Battle Tanks; M1A2Sepv3 and M88A2 Recovery Vehicles; M1074 Joint Assault Bridge platforms, and M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles.

It stated: "The delivery provides the new vehicles with the latest situational awareness technology allowing the Australian Army to keep ahead of new and emerging threats in the region."

The system is the same one used by AUKUS partner forces the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.K.’s ground combat vehicles, meaning the new vehicles will be able to integrate seamlessly with those of its coalition partners on joint exercises and manoeuvres. In total, the company has delivered more than 200,000 such systems internationally.

C5I stands for Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Cyber-defence Intelligence.

“We are very proud to support our close allies in the Australian Land forces by delivering our newest generation of proven C5I Battle Management System capability ahead of schedule,” said Bill Guyan, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business unit. “In today’s complex threat environment, it is paramount to ensure these critical capabilities are ready to be fielded as soon as possible,” he added.

• You can read more details on the Leonardo DRS website