Australia is sending another 30 Bushmaster armoured vehicles personnel carriers to the front lines of eastern Ukraine.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Noteworthy, Australia pledged 90 Bushmaster armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine last year, after Ukraine had specifically asked for the vehicles.
This latest donation is worth about $100 million and would mean Australia was now committed to providing 120 of the troop carriers to Ukraine.
The Bushmasters are built in Bendigo and have been used in Ukraine to move troops in and out of frontline areas.
They have also been deployed as ambulances and command, patrol and support vehicles.
Moreover, they can withstand RPG shots, run into mines, and tame enemy machine guns.
About Bushmaster armoured vehicles
The locally produced vehicle can rapidly deploy up to ten battle ready troops in all environments and is blast resistant. Its innovative cabin design gives it the flexibility to serve many roles.
Troop support
The Bushmaster is built to carry and sustain a nine man infantry section, with room for one more passenger. It is fully air-conditioned and can sustain itself for a period of up to three days.
Run flat tyres
The Bushmaster carries one complete spare wheel and all fitted wheels have run flat tyre inserts and a central tyre inflation system allowing them to continue travelling with punctures.
General characteristics
Weight: 12,500 kilograms
Length: 7.18 metres
Width: 2.48 metres
Height: 2.65 metres
Crew: One – with up to nine passengers
Overall performance
Engine: Caterpillar 3126E
Operational range: 800 kilometres
Maximum speed: Over 100 kilometres per hour
Armament: Gun ring for 5.56 millimetre and 7.62 millimetre machine guns
Mine and improvised explosive device protection
The Bushmaster uses an armoured v-shaped hull to protect its passengers from landmines and other explosive devices.
Besides, the sloped sides on the bottom of the hull act to deflect blast upward away from the vehicle.
Armour
The vehicle’s welded one-piece shell is designed to protect troops against all small arms fire. Windows also carry similar ballistic protection.
The Bushmaster’s fuel and hydraulic tanks are positioned outside the crew’s compartment to protect troops from possible fires.
Further, there is also a protected emergency fuel tank so the vehicle won’t be left stranded.
Purchasing and support
The Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) is responsible for purchasing and supporting the Bushmaster PMV under LAND 116 Project Bushranger.
These vehicles are being built in Bendigo in country Victoria.
Further, it is delivering over 1000 PMV-Ms to Army and Air Force.
As of now, seven variants of the Bushmaster have been purchased: troop, command, mortar, assault pioneer, direct fire weapon, ambulance and air defence.
A new general maintenance variant is being created by modifying the assault pioneer variant and an electronic warfare variant is also being developed.
Source and Image Courtesy: https://www.army.gov.au/our-work/equipment-uniforms/equipment/vehicles/bushmaster
