An Australian Army Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle disembarks from a landing craft during Exercise Keris Woomera at Banongan Beach, Indonesia. Photo by Leading Seaman Rikki-Lea Phillips.

40 new Bushmasters ordered by Defence

08/01/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 327 Views 0 Comments Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, Thales

Thales Australia will build 40 new Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles in Bendigo to be used by the Army’s second long-range fires regiment, to be based at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia.

FILE PHOTO: An Australian Army Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle disembarks from a landing craft during Exercise Keris Woomera at Banongan Beach, Indonesia. Photo by Leading Seaman Rikki-Lea Phillips.

These additional Bushmasters will support a multi-mission phased array radar battery to provide critical command and control functions.

The contract, valued at more than $100 million, will maintain hundreds of jobs at the Bendigo plant which has suffered from sporadic government investment.

Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy said these new Bushmaster vehicles will contribute to the acceleration of a land-based long-range strike capability for the Australian Army.

With all the party-political spin removed from the press release, there is very little left in the way of substance – but these are all the facts we have at hand.

.

.