Rheinmetall partners with Queensland Gaskets to deliver Commonwealth Project Tender worth $18 billion

Queensland Gaskets has partnered with Rheinmetall Defence Australia for the $18 billion LAND 400 Phase 3 project, joining a growing team of Australian SMEs to deliver three LYNX KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the Australian Defence Force for Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) trials over the next 12 months.

The Australian Army needs a new IFV for close combat – to close in and defeat an enemy in the most dangerous and lethal environments for Australian soldiers. Queensland Gaskets has been selected as a partner to supply componentry and an assembly of parts to manufacture the new LYNX, a next-generation IFV which is designed to deliver Australian troops in combat with world leading protection.

“Our collaboration with Rheinmetall has provided a great opportunity to showcase the breadth of our manufacturing capabilities – from consultation and gasket cutting to part assembly and everything in between,” Queensland Gasket Managing Director Carl Quarterman said.

The opportunity to utilise local, skilled and high-quality manufacturers was a core consideration for Rheinmetall when engaging Queensland Gaskets, joining Team LYNX.

“We are an Australian company with a global supply network built over our 67-year history in industry. This means we have the skills and capability to deliver into complex, high quality, large-scale projects,” Mr Quarterman said.

Rheinmetall will deliver three LYNX vehicles to compete in RMA trials conducted in Australia from November 2020. The extensive testing regime, considered world leading, will put vehicles through a range of trials including lethality, mobility and blast tests.

If successful, the LYNX fleet will be manufactured in Queensland at Rheinmetall’s new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence at Redbank south west of Brisbane. The signing of the Hungarian Armed Forces as the first LYNX customer also means Australian SMEs will see future potential export opportunities for Australia.

Queensland Gaskets are solutions-based experts. After an initial consultation, the team worked with Rheinmetall engineers to create the specialised part that matched the project’s requirements within two months.

“Specific premium-grade materials including metal, foam and rubber were sourced through our network of suppliers. Components were cut by the team on our CNC router and water jet cutter, followed by the hand assembly of parts at our factory in Brisbane,” Mr Quarterman said.

The value-adding end-to-end process that Queensland Gaskets takes ensures that the parts it manufactures meet the high standards required to ensure the protection of Australian soldiers in combat. This helps place Rheinmetall in a strong position to win the tender for this national defence project by engagement with local industry.