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First production Bushmaster delivered to Australian Army

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  • First production Bushmaster delivered to Australian Army

    The first production Bushmaster was delivered to the Australian Army on August 28th.

    The Australians have ordered 299 vehicles in 6 versions - troop carrier, ambulance, direct fire, mortar, engineer and command vehicles.

    The Bushmaster is built under licence from Timoney Technology (or as the Australians put it was "jointly designed with Timoney Technology Ltd").


    IAS

  • #2
    Benn talking to a Aus TA officer lately he says they're happy about it, no Piranha style bitching thus far, mind you no onees gotten near one yet so its all to play for.
    Any idea what the direct fire armament is?
    "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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    • #3
      Silly question- is the bushmaster in the same class as the MOWAG, and if so, was it considered for the Irish DF
      Take these men and women for your example.
      Like them, remember that posterity can only
      be for the free; that freedom is the sure
      possession of those who have the
      courage to defend it.
      ***************
      Liberty is being free from the things we don't like in order to be slaves of the things we do like.
      ***************
      If you're not ready to die for it, put the word freedom out of your vocabulary.

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      • #4
        THE 'BUSHMASTER' TROOP CARRIER
        In early 1999, Timoney licensee ADI Ltd was awarded a contract to manufacture 350 Infantry Mobility Vehicles for the Australian Defence Forces. Timoney engineering staff ensured a smooth transfer of technology and know-how through extensive in-country support. The "Bushmaster" hull design provides high levels of ballistic and mine blast protection. Outstanding mobility and crew comfort are achieved by use of the Timoney independent suspension system.
        Attached Files

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        • #5
          The Bushmaster made the last stage of the Irish apc competition but the MOWAG wass selected on the basis that it was already in widespread use and had seen operational service.
          "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Come-quickly
            The Bushmaster made the last stage of the Irish apc competition but the MOWAG wass selected on the basis that it was already in widespread use and had seen operational service.
            What do you mean? That is nonsense. The last stage of the Irish competetion involved trials between the Mowag Pirhana and the Steyr Pandur.

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            • #7
              The last two were the Pandur and the Piranha but the media reported that the Bushmaster was in the final three, which you might classify as the second last stage but I don't.
              "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

              Comment


              • #8
                The Timoney vehicles, MP44 (aka the Bushmaster), the MP66 (6x6 version of the MP44) and Mk8 6x6 IFV (aka CM31) were all excluded from the Irish competition, as they were all only at prototype/pre-production stage at the time and only "in production" vehicles were considered.


                IAS

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by ias
                  The Timoney vehicles, MP44 (aka the Bushmaster), the MP66 (6x6 version of the MP44) and Mk8 6x6 IFV (aka CM31) were all excluded from the Irish competition, as they were all only at prototype/pre-production stage at the time and only "in production" vehicles were considered.


                  IAS
                  Exactly,What he said.


                  Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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                  • #10
                    GF,

                    Exactly what who said?

                    They were not in any final 3, they were excluded from the Irish competition before stage 1, for which there were reportedly about 15 contenders.

                    By the way, Timoney had intended to propose the MP66 and/or the Mark 8 6x6.


                    IAS

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                    • #11
                      As I said I was just going by media reports
                      "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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                      • #12
                        Over budget, behind schedule

                        Like most acquisitions by the ADF, the Bushmaster arrived behind schedule and over budget. There was supposed to be about 340 of them but cost over runs and teething problems cut the number delivered to keep with in the allocated cost. They were trialled as VIP transports in East Timor so in theory should work. We'll wait and see. There was also a rumour doing the web-rounds that Australia would replace in Leopard MBTs with a version of the Abrams M1 because Australia was unable to send a heavy armoured unit to Iraq cos the Leo were not up to it, much to the embrassement of our Prime Minister John - All The Way With Dubya - Howard.

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                        • #13
                          Australia has LeopardA1s, no surprise they wouldn't deploy them to Iraq but I suspect that the Leopard2A5 would still have an edge over the Abrams in any future competition.
                          "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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                          • #14
                            Last I heard was that the ADF wants 300mill for a 100 Leopard 2A4

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                            • #15
                              Hello, I'm with the ADF, reserve not regular.

                              The PMV project has been fairly controversial in so far as there was a feeling that the ADF had once again blundered its way through the tendering and procurement faze. Poor legal practice was certainly a factor.

                              There were issues with the protection requirement for 7.62. Army wanted 7.62 AP but ADI took the view it was only required for 7.62 X 39.

                              The bushmaster is part of project bushranger, and ideally it was supposed to be complete around 1999. My bat. was issued with bushmasters in 99, and they were removed for deployment to east timor along with a lot of our crew served weapons and full time staff.

                              I'm told , although I wasn't in the battalion at the time that the bushmasters on trial were fitted with f89 (minimis) only when mags couldn't be acquired.

                              They are pretty comfortable, or at least the pre production versions we've played with before giving back and they air conditioned which is a big bonus in summer in northern australia.

                              Carry enough to sustain a section of 8 men (problem is our org is 10 man section) for about 3 days, and is apparently more mobile that the mogs, but less mobile than the landies.

                              With the bushies coming in their will be a reorg we will be moving most of the infantry within 1st div to a motorised battalion structure which is long overdue. 3RAR, 4RAR and 5/7RAR won't be affected by the changes, but 1 and 2 will become motorised and we will be reshaping our battalion size task force, so it will intergrate 3 motorised rifle coys with support and hq also mounted, 1 squadron of auslavs, and 12 tubes, 8 hamels and 4 m198s (we have more guns than that, likely in times of serious strife we could increase it to around 18 guns). It is still a very light formation, and doesn't have integrated aviation (although private armies...hmmm) or any heavy armour.

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