Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Rheinmetall has received a $497.2 million contract for medium and heavy-lift military trucks for Australia's Land 121 Phase 5B project.

The Duesseldorf, Germany-based company announced this week it has been selected to supply the Australian Defense Force with more than a thousand military trucks and associated equipment.


Rheinmetall is in the third phase of project 3B, which is supplying Australia with 2,500 medium and heavy military trucks worth a total of $1.29 billion. The new trucks will be delivered from the Rheinmetall plant in Brisbane, Australia, as part of the Land 121 Phase 5B project.

"This follow-up order is of great strategic significance to us, providing an excellent reference for other important international projects," Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, said in a press release.

"It reflects Australia's satisfaction with our performance and the quality of our vehicles. Rheinmetall's latest success in the Asia-Pacific region proves that our products are at the cutting edge of technology, and that the customer see in us a proven and reliable partner, fully capable of carrying out sophisticated large-scale projects," Papperger said.

When completed, Land 121 will deliver around 7,500 armored and soft-skin trucks and utility vehicles for battlefield mobility, support and combat.

Vehicles included in the program include Hawkei armored vehicles to replace Australia's Land Rover Fleet, 6X6 cargo trucks and armament that includes the Israeli Spike anti-tank missile.