Bushmaster vehicles have successfully passed reliability tests

[gf0012-aust]

The Australian Army's new Bushmaster vehicles have successfully passed the final stage of reliability tests, Defence Minister Robert Hill announced today.

Senator Hill said the achievement of this milestone meant there was only one step left before full rate production of the fleet could commence at ADI’s Bendigo facility. The final acceptance test is due to be completed late next month.

"I am very pleased with this result," Senator Hill said.

"ADI and the Defence Materiel Organisation have worked hard and consistently over two and a half years to turn this project around and successfully address the reliability concerns we had with the vehicle."

Senator Hill said the successful completion of reliability tests paved the way for ADI to promote Bushmaster on the international market.

"This latest result means ADI can now demonstrate an excellent capability with a high degree of export potential," Senator Hill said.

The first of the 299 Bushmaster vehicles are due to be delivered to the Army's 7th Brigade in Brisbane and the RAAF's Airfield Defence Guards from May next year.

The vehicles are designed to transport troops to the battlefield, providing protection for troops against land mines, mortars and small arms ammunition.

Each vehicle will be fitted with a weapon station capable of mounting the Army's family of light machine guns.

The Bushmaster can maintain speeds in excess of 90 km/h on Australian roads with a range of 600km carrying nine infantry soldiers with sufficient supplies of food, water and ammunition to last three days.

 

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Bushmaster Contract Set To Proceed


(Source: ADI Ltd.; issued June 22, 2004)


The Bushmaster infantry carrier’s progress to final acceptance testing was a significant endorsement of Australian innovation, ADI’s managing director, Mr Lucio Di Bartolomeo, said today.

Mr Di Bartolomeo, welcoming today’s announcement by the Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill, that Bushmaster had met the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Australian Army’s specified reliability requirements, said Bushmaster was the first armoured vehicle designed and produced in Australia since World War II.

“We are very confident that Bushmaster will pass its final acceptance test, enabling production of the 299 vehicles ordered by the Army to go ahead at our Bendigo facility in Victoria,†he said.

“The Minister’s announcement follows a five month, 110,000km testing of three Bushmasters by ADI and the DMO under conditions representative of operational missions.

“With the Bushmaster, the Army has a highly reliable infantry carrier vehicle offering unmatched protection against anti vehicle land mines, improvised explosive devices, mortar fragments and small arms fire. It also provides high-speed, cross-country mobility and crew comfort. Low maintenance and operating costs and air transportability are additional benefits.

“Bushmaster is also a vehicle with significant export potential, being well suited for a wide range of military operations including peacekeeping. We now hope to gain Defence approval for an August start to volume production of the Bushmasters.

“The capabilities and sophistication of the vehicle reflect the close cooperation ADI has enjoyed with the DMO and the Army in its development. ADI also appreciates Senator Hill’s strong support for our export initiatives with Bushmaster.

“The United Arab Emirates will begin evaluation of the vehicle in the next few months. Bushmaster was displayed in Paris this month at one of Europe’s major military equipment exhibitions, Eurosatory, and attracted considerable attention.

“The ability to adapt the Bushmaster platform for a range of applications adds to its export prospects. The Australian Army has ordered six variants; troop transport, ambulance, direct fire, mortar, pioneer and command,†he said.

Bushmaster is currently in low volume production at the facility. Fifteen vehicles have so far been delivered to Defence. Introduction into service is expected in mid 2005.

Bushmaster can carry up to 10 troops and has a range of 600km. Ergonomic seating, airconditioning and a 90 plus km/h cruising speed means troops arrive at their destination in the shortest possible time and ready to perform their tasks.

 

[Aussie Digger]

Should the Bushmaster contract and production proceed smoothly and I can definitely envisage follow-on orders for this vehicle from the Australian Army, for one thing they will need to fill out the 7th Brigade with these vehicles as 299 only equips 2/3'rds of the Brigade... The chief of the Army wants to move to the Australian Army becoming light armoured based rather than light infantry based and become and army of "two's" rather than "one's". I bet at least one more Brigades worth will be acquired once the Bushmaster has proved itself.

 

[joker]

Got any pics of the Bushmaster and ASLAV??

 

[Aussie Digger]

The Bushmaster:

The ASLAV Personel Carrier:

The ASLAV-25 (armed with 25mm Bushmaster Cannon).

More pics of these are in the Gallery under Australian Mil pics.

 

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Piece of trivia

The buildings behind the Bushmaster shot are what we call "Russell"

"Russell" is the Defence Headquarters complex in Canberra, there are probably another 10 acres buildings behind and to the side of that pic.

 

[Aussie Digger]

It's funny how many HQ's the ADF possesses. I know Russell Offices is the main one, but it's a bit strange when a defence force has more Command units then line units and a higher ratio of officers to soldiers than the US Army/Marine Corps or the UK defence forces or any NATO nation (from what I've read)...

 

[gf0012-aust]

It's funny how many HQ's the ADF possesses. I know Russell Offices is the main one, but it's a bit strange when a defence force has more Command units then line units and a higher ratio of officers to soldiers than the US Army/Marine Corps or the UK defence forces or any NATO nation (from what I've read)...

IIRC the current officer structure is kite shaped, when it should be triangular (and fat at the bottom).

too many bloody officers.

Up the road is campbell offices as well, then there's duntroon .... it's a veritable alley of them.

 

[Aussie Digger]

Mmm, I've visited Canberra on several occasions. Everytime time I'm there, I can't help thinking how much better our defence force would be if the oft stated intention of putting more money into the "sharp end" of defence actually occurred, rather than the current system of putting a pittance to the "sharp end" and using the rest to build these grand edifices...

 

[Aussie Digger]

Anyhoo getting back on topic, here's a story on how the Bushmaster will start to be introduced into the Australian Army.

Spreading their wings
New MCW to provide training for Bushmasters

By Cpl Damian Shovell

ARMY is preparing for the introduction of the Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle (IMV) with the official opening of Motorised Combat Wing (MCW) at CATC Puckapunyal on June 17.

Commandant CATC Col Peter Singh opened MCW where he entrusted a saddle blanket, cavalry sabre and spurs from 20th Light Horse Regiment (20LHR) to MCW as it prepares to take up its role in providing all IMV training on the six Bushmaster variants to both Army and Air Force.

“Today MCW was stood up in preparation for next year when it will commence training more than 400 trainees annually,†he said.

He said the training provided by infantry, transport, artillery, armoured corps and Air Force instructors would be of the highest standard and charged MCW with the responsibility of enhancing the capacity of infantrymen to manoeuvre, impose firepower and be protected on the battlefield.

He said CATC was about training soldiers to attain professional mastery and fighting spirit and in line with this, told MCW to take inspiration from Australia’s rich history in its mounted rifles and light horse regiments.

“With the advent of the IMV, the modern infantryman returns to the mounted rifles and light horse concept,†he said

He said the light horse heritage will now be shared between motorised infantry and the armoured corps and as a symbol of this, MCW will display the memorabilia from 20LHR, a direct descendant from the Victorian Mounted Rifles raised in 1885, which evolved into the 20th Motorised Regt in WW2.

OC MCW Capt John Papalitsas said ADI would commence training 24 ALTC maintenance instructors and six MCW instructors from July 19.

MCW expected to begin training predominantly 7 Bde soldiers and Air Force Airfield Defence Guards from May 2005, which will be delivered in three 16-day courses.

“The IMV Drivers course will provide training on driving, and driver-level maintenance and recovery,†Capt Papalitsas said.

“The Operators course will provide training on employment of the vehicle in tactical formations at platoon level, and the Supervisor’s course will train junior NCOs [and] officers in the supervision of tactical IMV operations within an environment of threat.

Capt Papalitsas said the Army was in the process of developing a number of new tactics, techniques, procedures and training for IMV employment within both the Army and the Air Force, and that the six MCW instructors would have the Training Management Plan completed this year.

“This has required the development of new skill sets, and the re-learning of old lessons that now lie in our heritage,†he said.

Here's a pic of the Bushmaster during some of it's testing.

 

[Aussie Digger]

I just finished reading a report from the Australian National Audit Office, on the Australian Armies Project "Bushmaster". It is not very complementary to the Army or Australian Defence Industries (company manufacturing the Bushmaster) and outlines a long list of problems in acquiring a fleet of fairly basic light armoured vehicles... The most interesting this was the confirmation that the Australian Government holds options on an additional 459 vehicles, (whilst the vehicles are in production there are no price increases) in addition to the 299 already ordered. The original plan was to equip 8 infantry battalions with this vehicle, and provide the airforce with a number of vehicles, however due to incompetence from the contractor and the Army, only 2 Battalions (at this stage) are now being equipped. You can read the report here:

http://www.anao.gov.au/WebSite.nsf/Publications/C96AAB7803272D56CA256EC200793001

I think that if every thing goes smoothly from here, additional vehicles will be ordered.

 

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It is not very complementary to the Army or Australian Defence Industries

Someone needs to go through ADI with a firehose. They were singularly responsible for stuffing up the "up-armouring" of the Leos a few years back. Due to their incompetence the Germans refused to sell us applique ERA and we ended up having to buy Canadian turrets rather than originals.

Their nickname is Another Defective Item.