Bushmaster of Thales Australia has been officially on the payroll of the Royal Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force since 2005
Besides, the vehicle is currently in service with the British Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force
Indonesian Army, Fiji Infantry Regiment, Jamaica Defence Force and the New Zealand Army
The Bushmaster is a four-wheel drive armoured vehicle. Its role is to provide protected mobility transport
with infantry dismounting from the vehicle before going into action
The vehicle is optimised for operations in northern Australia, and is capable of carrying up to 9 soldiers and their equipment
fuel and supplies for 3 days, depending on the type of variant
The vehicle weighs in between 11.4 tons and 15.4 tons, depending on the variant.
Its length is 7.1 m, width is 2.48 m, and height is 2.65 m
The Bushmaster is powered by a turbocharged Caterpillar 3126E 7.2L six-cylinder diesel engine, with 300 hp
It can reach a maximum road speed of 100 km/h and has a range of 800 km
The Bushmaster is a mine protected vehicle and provides a high degree of protection against land mines
using its v-hull monocoque to deflect the blast away from the vehicle and its occupants
The vehicle's armour provides protection against small arms of up to 7.62 mm ball ammunition
81mm mortar fragments, Claymore mines, and with additional applique armour
protection for armour-piercing ammunition of up to 7.62mm
The fuel and hydraulic tanks of the vehicle are located outside the crew compartment, while it also has an automatic fire suppression system
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
It is the first armoured vehicle to be designed and completely manufactured in Australia since the Sentinel tank during World War II
A total of nearly 1,200 vehicles were produced
As of 2017, the Bushmaster is planned to remain in service until 2030