Australia orders more Bushmaster 4x4 vehicles from Thales in vital orderbook boost
The Australian Army will receive 78 new Bushmasters to help replace those despatched to Ukraine. (Photo: Gordon Arthur)
Australia has ordered dozens more Bushmaster vehicles to replenish army stocks, providing a much-needed boost to the manufacturer’s backlog.
The Australian government announced on 17 May that it had signed an order the same day for 78 additional Bushmaster 4x4 protected mobility vehicles from Thales Australia.
The contract is worth some A$160 million ($106.4 million), and it will renew numbers in the Australian Army after 90 Bushmasters were donated to Ukraine in separate tranches last year. The order includes both troop carrier and command variants.
The vehicles will be manufactured at Thales Australia’s facility in Bendigo over the coming 18 months, with work to start immediately.
By Shephard’s calculation, this order will bring to 1,381 the number of
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