Canberra orders $160m in new Bushmasters

Thales Australia has welcomed the announcement today by the Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy of a $160 million contract to build new Bushmaster Protected Vehicles (pictured) for the Australian Army.

The contract for the new Bushmasters was signed at Thales Australia’s Bendigo facility today in the presence of Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters who the company said had been a strong advocate for manufacturing jobs in Bendigo.

Thales Australia CEO Jeff Connolly said: “This is a strategic industrial capability that is vital for the Australian Defence Force.

“Today’s contract signing is an important expression of support from the government, not just for the Bushmaster vehicle, but also for the manufacturing capability and Australian supply chain that produces and sustains the vehicles.”

Work will begin immediately on the new vehicles, with a mix of troop-carrying vehicles and Command vehicles to be manufactured over the next 18 months.

Connolly said: “More than 1,200 Bushmasters have already been manufactured at our Bendigo facility and as well as proving to be a life-saving vehicle for the Australian Army in operations in the Middle East, they have been exported to eight nations including the Netherlands, UK, Fiji, Jamaica, New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia.

“Bushmasters gifted to Ukraine by the Australian Government are currently in service in Ukraine and providing a vital capability to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as they fight the illegal Russian invasion.

“In addition to our direct employment on site in Bendigo, the manufacture of Protected Vehicles supports around 360 jobs in our Australian supply chain with many suppliers across regional areas of Victoria and New South Wales.”

Further reading:
More Bushmasters bound for Ukraine

Picture: Thales Australia/Pat Conroy and Lisa Chesters at Thales Bendigo