Minister of Defence, Pat Conroy MP, and the Federal Member for Bendigo, Ms Lisa Chesters MP, tour the production line for the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle at the Thales production facility in Bendigo, Victoria. Credit: Australia Defence Force.

Thales Australia has confirmed that it will build 15 more Bushmaster armoured multi-role vehicles for the Australian Army in a deal worth A$45m ($30m).

Construction is due to take place at the company’s Protected Vehicle Centre of Excellence facility in Bendigo, Victoria. More than 1,200 of these 17 tonne, 4×4 vehicles have been manufactured there according to Jeff Conolly, the CEO of Thales Australia.

The Minister of Defence, Pat Conroy, visited the site alongside his colleague, the Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, on 16 July 2024.

The company have exported Bushmasters to eight nations including Fiji, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the UK.

These latest funds build on the $106.3m that Conroy allocated for Bushmaster manufacturing at the Bendigo site only two months ago.

Logistical support must match GWEO growth

The new order will facilitate command and control of Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) long-range fires regiment; accelerating the delivery of the first land-based long-range fires capability for the Australia Defence Force.

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A key recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review was to replenish its guided weapons and explosive ordnance (GWEO) stocks and establish sovereign missile and munition manufacturing factories in Australia.

For that reason, the Commonwealth invested $1.06bn to expand and accelerate its HIMARS acquisition, bringing the total number of systems to 42 in August 2023. The new Bushmasters will provide logistical support for this growing GWEO priority area.

A Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle bound for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces is loaded onto HMAS Choules in Brisbane, Queensland. Credit: Australian Defence Force.

With a road cruise speed of 100 kilometres per hour, the Bushmaster transports troops and is suitable for deployment in complex, diffuse and lethal operational environments. The Bushmaster family provides high-level protection against anti-tank mines, improvised explosive devices, mortar fragments and small arms fire.

It was an optimal choice for counter-insurgency warfare – the Australian Army deployed them in Afghanistan – however, the Russia-Ukraine war has proven that this level of protection remains suitable for the high intensity warfare experienced today. In fact, this time last year Australia bumped its donation of Bushmasters to Ukraine up to 120 vehicles.

According to GlobalData intelligence, the Army currently operates more than 900 units acquired between 2004 and 2014.