New Thales Bushmasters for Australian Army
Thales Australia has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement today that it will purchase an additional 214 Bushmaster vehicles for the Australian Army.
Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said the announcement was a tremendous expression of confidence in the vehicle, and in the ability of Australian industry to deliver life-saving capability to the Australian Defence Force.
“Bushmaster vehicles are proving their worth every day in Afghanistan under some of the harshest conditions imaginable.
“The vehicle’s life-saving design, off-road mobility and reliability have made it a mainstay of Australian operations.
“Today’s announcement ensures that the design, engineering and manufacturing capability at Bendigo that has produced Bushmaster will be able to be retained and will provide a sustainable skills base for future military vehicle manufacture in Australia.
“Continuity of production is vital to maintain strategic industrial capabilities. Lack of continuity or confidence means skilled workforces are difficult to maintain and supply chains are disrupted.
“Every Bushmaster built at our facility in Bendigo includes parts from around 100 Australian SMEs in our supply chain. Today’s announcement also gives them confidence and continuity.
“I would like to acknowledge the strong support for the vehicle from many stakeholders, including the Army end users, the Bendigo community, our workforce, manufacturing unions and both Government and Opposition members.
“It is very encouraging that there has been such widespread support for maintaining the strategically important industrial capability at Bendigo, which will be vital for the delivery of the Hawkei Light Protected Vehicle now in development.
“It also reflects confidence in the ability of Australian defence industry to deliver advanced capability.”
