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.

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