The Australian Department of Defence has awarded Thales Australia a A$100 million contract to acquire an additional 44 4×4 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMVs), the company announced on 8 January.
The company noted that the new Bushmaster PMVs will be used by the Australian Army’s second High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) long-range fires regiment, to be based at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia as part of the 10th Fires Brigade.
“The Bushmaster is an excellent example of what we do at Thales Australia as a trusted partner of the Australian government, utilising local skills, design, engineering and technology to protect the interests of Australia, our allies and partners,” said Jeff Connolly, CEO of Thales Australia and New Zealand.
“This vote of confidence in the Bushmaster platform means Thales Australia and its workforce will have the confidence to design and deliver future upgrades as well as next-generation capabilities for the vehicle,” added Connolly.
The latest order follows a July 2024 deal worth A$45 million to acquire 15 Bushmaster PMVs to support long-range fires.
More than 1300 Bushmasters have been manufactured at Thales Australia’s Bendigo facility, with the vehicle being exported to eight countries including the UK, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Japan. The type includes troop-carrier, command, patrol and ambulance variants.
The army is also anticipating the first of two batch of 20 HIMARS systems, worth around US$385 million, ordered under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) scheme from 2025. Australia also ordered a second batch of 22 HIMARS systems at a cost of US$975 million through the same scheme. Deliveries of both HIMARS batches are expected to be completed by 2027.
by Jr Ng
