800th Bushmaster delivered to Australian MoD
The 800th Bushmaster to roll off the Bendigo production line has been officially handed over to the Hon. Stephen Smith, Minister for Defence.
The handover ceremony at Thales Australia’s Bendigo facility was also attended by The Hon. Jason Clare, Minister for Defence Materiel; Steve Gibbons MP, Federal Member for Bendigo; plus a host of representatives from Bushmaster suppliers and industry associations.
The vehicle is an Australian success story, helping save troops’ lives on operations and enabling successful completion of missions in even the most hostile environments.
Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s CEO, said the production milestone achieved by the Bushmaster was the result of Australian ingenuity and manufacturing expertise.
“Our Bendigo facility is unique, not only because it is the home of such an innovative vehicle, but also because we have the engineering and manufacturing skills to evolve the vehicle to meet new threats on the battlefield.
“This local expertise, and that of all the suppliers to the program – the vast majority of which are Australian – gives the Australian Defence Force a significant resource it can use to adapt the vehicle to its own unique needs.
“In addition, new Bushmaster variants such as the Single Cab Utility, as well as new vehicles such as the Hawkei, have only been possible because of the proven capability found in our Bendigo facility.
“The recent Commonwealth order for 101 new Bushmasters has given the Bendigo facility a great boost, and we are vigorously pursuing ongoing opportunities for the Single Cab under Land 121 Phase 3 and the Hawkei under Land 121 Phase 4, as well as export orders.”
Source: Thales
More from Land Warfare
-
Precision on Demand: The New Age of Loitering Weapons (Podcast)
Loitering munitions provide vital capabilities in the disrupted and unpredictable modern battlespace, from real-time ISR to a virtually “on demand” strike capability. Rafael is looking to the future of the technology, empowering systems to operate with increasing autonomy in hostile environments.
-
Thales’ Ground Fire radar meets growing European demand for airspace protection
The new radar will be used to enhance the French-Italian SAMP/T NG system with a greater surveillance range and wider coverage to detect, track and classify targets.
-
Serbia pushes new and improved weapons to showcase native capabilities
Last month’s Partner 2025 exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia was seen as a chance for local companies to grab the spotlight. New systems, anti-tank weapons and turrets were displayed as well as programme progress updates.
-
Fischer KEYSTONE™ Hub: Enabling Next-Gen Command and Control
KEYSTONE delivers modular soldier connectivity for NGC2 – customizable with Fischer Connectors’ online configurator.