An Australian Army Bushmaster disembarks during Exercise Keris Woomera at Banongan Beach, Indonesia. (LSIS Rikki-Lea Phillips)
SYDNEY — The Australian Army will buy 40 more Bushmaster Armored Personnel Vehicles, in a deal valued at over $100 million AUD ($61 million USD).
Thales Australia builds them in a town called Bendingo, where Pat Conroy, minister for defense industry, announced the purchase.
“The Bushmaster vehicles will contribute to the acceleration of a land-based long-range strike capability for the Army, demonstrating a commitment to modernizing the Australian Defence Force,” Conroy said, according to a transcript. “We’re taking and transforming the Australian Army from an army capable of striking 40 kilometers to an army capable of striking 500 and then, eventually 1,000 kilometres away, which is all about deterring aggression in our region.”
Conroy announced today the Australian military will be establishing a second long-range fires regiment and that the new vehicles will be “providing what’s called command and control (C2) for that regiment.”
He also said the newly contracted vehicles will enable “targeting and the coordination and communications that will allow that regiment to strike targets at range to deter aggression.”
The new Bushmasters will provide C2 capabilities for the Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) or Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 contract, to be awarded by the end of this year. Last July, a $45 million contract was awarded to Thales for 15 Bushmasters to provide C2 for the first long-range fires regiment. The first regiment will be equipped with HIMARS launchers using Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
The Jan. 8 Bushmaster announcement carried strong political overtones. An Australian federal election is expected in March and Bendigo is held by a Labor member, Lisa Chesters. The election is expected to be very close, with Labor probably hanging on to power in coalition, public polls indicate. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spent a big chunk of the extended holiday period touring Western Australia, with crucial Labor seats, as well as other regions he will need to hold on to power.
“These 40 new Bushmaster vehicles represent a contract in excess of $100 million for Thales Australia and secures the future of 250 direct jobs at this facility,” Conroy touted.
