New Bushmasters Roll Off Bendigo Production Line

Defence’s new fleet of Bushmaster vehicles which will provide state-of-the-art transport protection for Australian soldiers is currently rolling off ADI’s production line in Bendigo, Victoria.

Defence Minister Robert Hill today visited ADI’s Bendigo plant where work is underway to produce a total of 300 new vehicles for the Australian Defence Force as part of the Government’s $350 million Land 116 Project Bushranger. Earlier this year 10 new Bushmaster vehicles were deployed to southern Iraq with the Al Muthanna Task Group to provide additional transport protection for the ADF personnel deployed to the southern province.





www.defense-aerospace.com...


www.adi-limited.com...

Here's some more info

[edit on 18-7-2005 by Jezza]

[edit on 18-7-2005 by Jezza]

This thing is pretty cool.

It was first deployed to ETimor as an armoured VIP transport so the army could get some in-theatre testing.

It's pretty bloody big but it fulfills its function beautifully, ten troopers can travel from Adelaide to Darwin, over 2500 km, in protected comfort, arrive fresh and fight.

Although it's function is purely transport, unlike a Bradley, it can fight light engagements if it has to with reasonable survivability.

It's also got range and wear and tear, something M113 doesn't have. M113, however, was desigend to enter combat, Bushmaster wasn't. The governing factor is the kind of engagements Australia has been involved in since we left Nui Dat. An awful lot of blue-helmet peace-keeping jobs.

The replacement for M113 is pretty cool, too; ASLAV (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle). It's a modification of the LAV system the USMC uses. Six-wheel drive and a Hughes gun. The two vehicles make a nice combination and given the distances involved in defending Australia wheels make much better sense than tracks.

BUSHmaster?



Does that have to do ANYTHING with the current US President?

Or is it just Bushes, as if small-growing-vegetation?

Oshkosh Truck markets ADI Bushmaster

SHAUN CONNORS JDW Editor, Jane's Military Vehicles and Logistics
London

* The marketing agreement for the Bushmaster primarily covers North America and countries covered by Foreign Military Sales

* Oshkosh has also produced prototypes for a new tactical truck range

Oshkosh Truck of the US recently disclosed to JDW that the company is marketing the ADI Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicle.

In a separate announcement the company also disclosed that it has produced a number of prototypes of a new tactical truck range: the Medium Tactical Truck (MTT).

The Bushmaster was purpose-designed for mine- and blast- resistance and throughout its design process considerable attention was paid to high levels of troop safety and operational comfort in hot/tropical climates. These and other factors, including the well-thought out ergonomics of the base vehicle design, contribute to the suitability of the Bushmaster for a considerable number of the protected troop transport/convoy escort-type requirements being generated by the situation in Iraq.

The Bushmaster is in volume production for the Australian Army and has been deployed operationally to East Timor and Iraq, with Oshkosh Truck offering logistic support for those Bushmasters deployed to Iraq.

The marketing agreement between Oshkosh Truck and ADI for the Bushmaster primarily covers North America and those countries covered by Foreign Military Sales. Volume dependant, Bushmaster could be manufactured by Oshkosh in the US and - to reduce procurement costs, increase local content and provide greater fleet commonality - could utilise Oshkosh-produced components such as the TAK-4 independent suspension and/or locally sourced driveline components such as an Allison automatic transmission.

Offering a variant of ADI's High Mobility Engineering Vehicle (HMEV), Oshkosh teamed with ADI to bid for the US Army's estimated, 500-vehicle High Mobility Engineering Excavator (HMEE) requirement, a contract award for which is anticipated by the end of 2005. In conjunction with ADI, Oshkosh is one of nine contractors shortlisted for Project Overlander (Land 121), Australia's light vehicle, truck and trailer replacement programme.

Following discussions with a number of established customers Oshkosh Truck commenced development earlier in 2005 of the MTT range. Designed for tactical roles, the range covers 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 chassis and combines components of Oshkosh's heavy-duty construction trucks (cab and suspension being examples) and purpose-designed severe-duty military trucks (chassis, body and cooling package being examples) such as the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) and Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT), with readily available commercial driveline components supplied by the likes of Allison, Caterpillar, Cummins and Eaton. The result, according to the company, is a truck with levels of mobility, performance and durability close to those of a purpose-designed military truck but at a price closer to that of a militarised commercial truck.

Established Oshkosh truck users in a number of countries are evaluating the prototype MTTs.

Oshkosh Truck is producing the MTVR for the US marines and navy. Around 6,000 examples have been manufactured to date and under current contracts production will continue will continue until Fiscal Year 2010. Under the US Army's Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles contract awarded in 2001, Oshkosh is delivering new-build M977 series HEMTTs and M1075 PLS (Palletised Load System) trucks and M1076 PLS trailers, is remanufacturing service-worn HEMTTs and is refurbishing service-worn PLS trucks and trailers and M1070 HETs.

The FHTV contract is worth in excess of USD1 billion and if all options are exercised calls for approximately 5,398 new trucks, 1,100 new trailers and the continued remanufacture/refurbishment of trucks and trailers under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract.

Additionally, Oshkosh Truck is one of two bidders (the other being American Truck Company) competing to replace the US marines' Oshkosh-supplied MK-48 Logistic Vehicle System. Each company supplied three prototype vehicles earlier in 2005; a contract award is due mid-2006.
JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY - SEPTEMBER 14, 2005









[edit on 26-9-2005 by Jezza]

Bushmaster Vote of Confidence As Netherlands Orders 13 More Vehicles

(Source: Thales Australia; issued June 26, 2008)

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has ordered 13 new Bushmasters from Thales.

The first vehicles will be delivered in theatre by 1 October this year, bringing the total supplied to the Dutch armed forces to 49. The contract is worth over $15 million (EUR 9.2 million), and includes an option for additional vehicles to meet ongoing requirements.

Thales first supplied the vehicle to the Netherlands in 2006, and the new deal represents a significant vote of confidence in the Bushmaster’s operational performance.

“This sale demonstrates the continuing success of the Bushmaster in operations, and the trust that troops on the ground place in it,” said Chris Jenkins, managing director of Thales in Australia, where the Bushmaster is produced.


The order brings the total commitment the Netherlands have made for Bushmasters to 49 vehicles, and the country still holds options to buy more. The first vehicles were delivered in 2006.

The U.K. also has bought 24 of the vehicles. Moreover, Australian defense officials says another European order may be in the works.

Australia also operates the vehicle and is in talks to buy 250 further Bushmasters. More than 440 of the vehicles have been sold in total.

link and pic

So the confirmed Bushmaster orders are now:

700-odd - ADF
49 - Dutch (in three batches)
24 - British

With possibles for the French, and presumably more possibles for British and Dutch.

the australian

[edit on 8-8-2008 by Jezza]