Australia is walking the talk when it comes to providing military assistance to Ukraine.
As per reports, Bushmaster armored vehicles have started arriving in Ukraine.
Viewers may note that, as per the prime minister’s office, the Australian government has pledged
to provide additional military support to Ukraine.
Australia has provided non-military, defensive and humanitarian aid to Ukraine on several
occasions since the invasion was launched by Russia at the end of February.
The statement read, “The Australian Government will provide further support to the Government
of Ukraine by gifting 20 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, including two ambulance
variants, to aid the Government of Ukraine’s response to Russia’s unrelenting and illegal
aggression”
In this video, Defense Update analyzes how capable is the Bushmaster armored vehicle
that Australia has sent to Ukraine?
Let's get started.
According to the official statement, the Bushmasters are
apparently being provided in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request
for military assistance, which he made during his to the Australian Parliament in late March.
As per the release, to suit the operating environment, the 20 Bushmasters are painted
olive green.
A Ukrainian flag is also painted on each side, with the words “United with Ukraine” stenciled
in English and Ukrainian to show our commitment and support for Ukraine’s government and
people.
The release added that the classic Red Cross emblem will be on the ambulance.
The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles will be fitted with radios, a global positioning
system and additional bolt-on armor increasing their protection.
The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle or Infantry Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built
four-wheel-drive armored vehicle.
Variants include troop carrier, command, patrol, support, weapons deployment and ambulance.
It is the first armored vehicle to be designed and completely manufactured in Australia since
the Sentinel tank during World War II.
The Bushmaster was primarily designed by the then government-owned Australian Defence Industries
(ADI) and is currently produced by Thales Australia with a support contract provided
by Oshkosh Truck following the acquisition of ADI.
The Bushmaster’s primary function is to provide armored transport, with infantry dismounting
before entering combat.
As the Bushmaster is lightly armored, the term Infantry Mobility Vehicle (IMV) was initially
adopted to distinguish it from a heavier wheeled or tracked armored personnel carrier, such
as the ASLAV and M113 also in Australian service.
The high-hard steel specified for Bushmaster means that it offered better ballistic and
IED protection than existing aluminum alloy clad ASLAVs and M113.
Apart from the Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force, Bushmaster is currently
in service with the Royal Netherlands Army, British Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force,
Indonesian Army, Fiji Infantry Regiment, Jamaica Defence Force, New Zealand Army.
Bushmaster is an 11-tonne, 4×4 armored vehicle with a 4-tonne payload that can be used for
a variety of missions.
It has been designed to carry up to 10 people, with high levels of blast and ballistic protection
as well as excellent off-road mobility.
Eight face-to-face ergonomically designed seats with full four-point harness seat belts
are installed in the cabin, which has headroom of 1,415mm.
Each occupant seat position has its own personal weapons storage space, mission equipment storage,
radio suite intercom, and split air conditioning system.
The Bushmaster transports personnel fast and comfortably at a road cruise speed of 100
kph or 63 mph, making it suitable for deployment in dispersed and dangerous operating areas.
It is powered by a turbo V8 diesel motor that produces 300 hp and over 1,000 Nm of torque.
The vehicle has a 317-liter capacity fuel tank.
The Bushmaster is a mine-protected vehicle that uses its v-hull monocoque to deflect
the blast away from the vehicle and its occupants, providing a high level of protection against
land mines.
The armor in the vehicle protects it against small guns with a caliber of up to 7.62 mm.
Three roof hatches are present with locking knobs in the cabin to provide protection from
ambush and a secondary escape path.
Wire cutters are mounted on the vehicle’s roof on both sides to protect soldiers who
are exposed above the roofline.
The fuel and hydraulic tanks are positioned outside the crew quarters reducing risk to
the crew.
The troop carrier variant of the Bushmaster is fitted with one gun ring.
The forward gun ring can be fitted with a 5.56 mm or 7.62 mm machine gun.
The two rear hatches each have a 'mounting' boss to allow the attachment of a swing mount
capable of holding a 7.62 mm machine gun.
The Bushmaster is air transportable by C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and Mil Mi-26
aircraft.
The US Pentagon said Russia is gearing up for an offensive in the eastern Donbas region,
moving troops and material toward that area.
It is likely that the main objective now is to seize the parts of the eastern Donbas region
not yet controlled by Moscow.
As per some experts, the battle in the region will be the biggest in the war so far.
Unlike the first phase of the six-week-old conflict, Russia is trying to push Ukraine
into fighting conventional battles involving tanks, artillery, and aircraft on flat, often
open terrain that allows Russia to better leverage its superiority in military hardware.
The transfer of these vehicles to Ukraine will aid the defensive as well as the offensive
capability of the troops.