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Subject:
British army shows interest in Bushmaster
Aussiegunneragain
3/9/2008 8:00:24 PM
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Looks like the Bushie is giving those who originally knocked it as having too few wheels and poor build quality a slap in the face.
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BRITISH army chiefs are showing increasing interest in buying the mine-resistant Australian-made Bushmaster vehicle for use in war-battered Afghanistan.
Reliable defence sources told The Australian an initial order for at least 20 patrol vehicles was under consideration. The armoured Bushmasters are earning a good reputation on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the main threat is deadly roadside bombs.
A mission last month led by a British army colonel included an inspection of the Thales Bushmaster assembly plant in Bendigo, Victoria. The British military's chief defence procurer (land) Lieutenant-General Dick Applegate is scheduled to visit Australia in May.
Despite delays in production, the Bushmaster has emerged as a successful locally made defence product with 723 expected to be bought by the Australian Defence Force alone.
Capable of carrying eight passengers, the Bushmaster combines off-road mobility with a 1000km range and has excellent protection against mines and roadside bombs.
The Dutch military were sufficiently impressed with the vehicle to buy 25 Bushmasters in a deal valued at $31.7million.
But a potentially lucrative deal to sell 1500 Bushmasters to the US military under a licensing arrangement with US company Oshkosh fell through last year.
Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James blamed that decision on American unwillingness to deal with French company Thales - a hangover from France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq. US law also restricts the direct importation of foreign military products, even from Australia.
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Air Force has accepted the fourth and final Boeing C-17 Globemaster into its fleet, completing a $2billion contract for the transport aircraft.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23347333-31477,00.html |
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