The Queensland Government and Rheinmetall Defence Australia partnered together to establish the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) at Redbank and bring defence opportunities to Queensland.
The MILVEHCOE is Rheinmetall’s Australia-New Zealand headquarters and the production facility for the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles being manufactured for the Australian Army under the $5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 program.
Rheinmetall’s work is expected to generate up to $1 billion for Queensland’s economy over 10 years, helping to grow and strengthen Queensland’s defence and heavy vehicle industries.
The project delivers on the government’s Queensland Defence Industries 10-year Roadmap and Action Plan, which aims to significantly increase defence revenue and generate 3,500 new full-time jobs by 2028.
In addition to LAND 400 Phase 2, the Queensland Government supports Rheinmetall in its endeavours for other domestic and international defence projects.
In March 2024 , the Australian Government confirmed a $1 billion agreement to export at least 100 Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles to Germany. The vehicles will be manufactured at the MILVEHCOE and exported for use by the German Army, representing one of Australia’s biggest ever defence exports.
Rheinmetall’s MILVEHCOE spans 11 hectares and features:
- 30,000m2 manufacturing and production building
- electromagnetic capability chamber
- outdoor vehicle test track
- fully enclosed weapons test firing tunnel
- electronics building, administration centre and corporate training centre
- car parking for employees and visitors, vehicle storage, refuelling and wash-down bays, water storage tanks, waste and recycling facilities.
The facility features some of the best technologies from across Rheinmetall’s entire defence business – electronics, electro-optics, armour, turrets, vehicles and simulators in addition to an impressive range of development and test facilities.