Rheinmetall tapped for recon vehicles for Australia

March 14 (UPI) -- Rheinmetall, with the help of several Australian manufacturers, will deliver 211 reconnaissance vehicles to the Australian Defense Force, the company and the Australian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.

A joint announcement by Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull, the defense minister and the minister for the defense industry emphasized that the light armor vehicles will be built with Australian manpower and steel, under a contract with German contractor Rheinmetall.

The vehicles, called Boxer 8x8s, will replace an aging fleet of armored vehicles in the military fleet.

Up to 1,450 jobs, in Australia, will be created by the purchase as part of a $5.2 billion contract. The new vehicles are part of the Turnbull government's $200 billion upgrade of defense capabilities.

Rheinmetall will work with more than 40 companies in Australia for contract work, the company said in a statement.