The new order will support continued production at the factory in Bendigo in Australia and further development of new types.
The new Bushmasters will be used by the Australian Army’s second long-range fires regiment, to be based at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia as part of the 10th Fires Brigade.
Australia has ordered another 44 Thales Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles (PMVs), destined for use with a long-range fires regiment.
The A$100 million (US$62 million) contract also supports the further development of the platform as it enters version 5.5, which encompasses substantial design changes.
More than 1,300 Bushmasters have been built with the vehicle being exported to eight nations including the UK, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Japan. It has also seen service in Ukraine against Russian forces and is being offered for major programmes such as the British Army’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP).