Japan orders four Bushmaster troop carrier vehicles
Thales Australia has secured a new customer for its Bushmaster vehicles, with the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) placing an order the vehicle on behalf of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force. The order, announced on 7 April, is for four vehicles.
The order is for the troop carrier variant of the Bushmaster. They will be assembled at the company’s facility in Bendigo, Victoria, and delivered in late 2014.
Chris Jenkins, CEO, Thales Australia, said: ‘This new export order demonstrates the ongoing significance and versatility of the Bushmaster vehicle. With effective operational deployment across Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bushmaster has proven its effectiveness across urban landscapes as well as mountainous regions, making it uniquely suited to Japan’s geographic and urban environments.
‘This is the first time that Thales is providing platforms to Japan. Our aim is to be customer focused and to offer Thales Group’s seamless and convenient services and technologies to our customers in Japan. We look forward to working closely with the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force as these vehicles enter service.’
More than 1,000 Thales Bushmaster vehicles have been sold to the armed forces of Australia, the Netherlands and Jamaica.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![World Defense Show 2026: DOK-ING working on MV-8 variants and reveals specs ahead of Eurosatory]()
World Defense Show 2026: DOK-ING working on MV-8 variants and reveals specs ahead of Eurosatory
The Croatian company began the development of the MV-8 modular uncrewed platform in the early 2020s. Specifications for the vehicle were revealed to Shephard at World Defense Show 2026.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Turkish and European industries will cooperate, says Aselsan boss]()
World Defense Show 2026: Turkish and European industries will cooperate, says Aselsan boss
Aselsan was formed 50 years ago in response to difficulties Turkey was facing in sourcing major systems internationally. While some challenges still remain, company president Ahmet Akyol believes a rapprochement is possible.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Russia reveals details of new loitering munition]()
World Defense Show 2026: Russia reveals details of new loitering munition
The Kalashnikov RUS-PE cannister-launched man-portable loitering munition was displayed as a model at World Defense Show 2026 with a company official telling Shephard it was “in service and in low-rate initial production”.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system]()
World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system
Nation Shield is the latest iteration of the MARSS C2 system and is designed to provide C2 further forward along with more capable air defence.
