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MELBOURNE: The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has signed a contract with Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific (MBAuP) for the supply of 1,200 G-Class cross-country vehicles.
Internally coded by the ADF as ‘Land 121’, but more commonly referred to as ‘Project Overlander’, this large-scale undertaking by the ADF is to replace its tactical vehicle fleet.
MBAuP successfully managed and secured the lightweight/light segment of the Land 121 tender through the involvement of fifty technical and engineering specialists from Australia, Germany and Austria. The G-Class cross-country vehicle supply contract has taken more than five years from the commencement of the tender process through to today’s signing.
The first deliveries of the G-Class off-road vehicles to the ADF will commence in 2009, which coincidentally marks thirty years of G-Class production, and will run through to at least 2014. The military-specification G-Class vehicles will be built in a dedicated factory in Graz, Austria in both a 4X4 (for the lightweight component of the tender) and a 6X6 configuration (for the light component).
All of the G-Wagons supplied to the Australian Defence Force will be fitted with different variants of modules or cargo platforms. The modules will be supplied and delivered by VARLEY, based in Newcastle, NSW. A total of nine vehicle variants will be supplied across the 4X4 and 6X6 platforms.
In addition to the vehicle supply contract there is also a 30-year strategic agreement and a service/parts/support contract which will run for an initial 15 years with an option for an extension beyond this time frame.
The total value of the vehicle and service/parts/support contract is AUD$350 million.
The high degree of component commonality between the civilian and military versions of the G-Class has produced economies of scale in research, development and parts production.
The famous Mercedes-Benz G-Class off-roader was first unveiled in 1979 and was designed predominantly with heavy-duty off-road terrain in mind. Originally known as the G-Wagen, which is short for ‘geländewagen’, or ‘cross-country vehicle’, this iconic all-terrain wagon has, over the many years of its production life, been adapted to ever-changing customer requirements in the civilian and military worlds.
It boasted outstanding off-road capabilities right from the outset, but its all-terrain prowess has been continuously improved through the addition of cutting-edge electronic controls and powertrain technologies, proven in the toughest off-road applications.
Its exceptional performance off the beaten track, its excellent towing abilities and balanced handling characteristics have resulted in the G-Class enjoying an extraordinarily long production career, which now stands at 29 years.
Mercedes Benz
