Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia has been chosen to supply PASEO Joint Fires advanced day and night panoramic sights for integration onto Hanwha Defence Australia’s Redback infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), Safran announced on 12 September 2024.
The PASEO Joint Fires solution will provide the long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) sensor for the Redback IFV, which is being supplied by Hanwha to the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) under the Land 400 Phase 3 programme. The contract calls for the production and delivery of PASEO Joint Fires sensors and associated ancillaries.
According to Safran, the PASEO Joint Fires sighting system “integrates high-performance day-and-night, all-weather optronics sensors and offers 360° coverage with a high-rate sectorial scanning capability”. The system includes Safran’s Geonyx inertial navigation system, which provides precise and reliable positioning, even if satellite navigation signals are unavailable or inaccessible in a GNSS-denied environment.
The Redback project will continue Safran’s legacy of providing premium optronics solutions for the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army. Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia has already successfully delivered its portable optronic solutions under Project Land 17, which is aimed at enhancing Australian’s artillery capabilities, and Project Land 300, which has equipped Australian soldiers with next-generation surveillance and target acquisition capabilities. The company has also integrated its MINEO day and night sight onto Hanwha Defence Australia’s Huntsman self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) under the Project Land 8116 Phase 1.
Anthony Bianco, Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia’s head of sales and marketing, was quoted in a company press release as saying, “We are delighted to continue to support Australian Defence and Hanwha Defence Australia with yet another trusted and battle-proven optronic solution, where we will be supporting the design, integration and sustainment in country. It will be critically important that this superior capability is delivered to Australian Defence as we have done for the army over the last five years.”
Hanwha Defence Australia’s acting managing director, Dean Michie, added, “We are proud to continue our relationship with Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia across both our Huntsman and Redback vehicles for our Australian customer. In today’s congested and contested battlespace, their technology is a key offering on our vehicles.”
More than 2,500 of Safran’s PASEO family of sighting systems have been worldwide, according to the company, equipping various armoured vehicles and other platforms.
