Posted on 06/15/2006 5:43:38 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
The Australian Bushmaster armored truck has proved itself capable during its first combat use in Iraq. The vehicle was developed in Australia in the late 1990s, with mass production finally beginning in 2002. Originally, the plan was to order 341 vehicles, to equip three light infantry battalions. These units would thus be able to patrol vast areas of uninhabited coasts and the outback (the large arid region comprising most of the interior). There was enough space in the vehicles to store three days worth of supplies for these patrols. In 2000, two of the prototype vehicles were sent with the Australian peacekeeping force in East Timor.
After reliability problems caused some redesign, and cost growth, the order was reduced to 299 vehicles (at $670,000 each). The vehicle is based on the South African design concept, with a V shaped underside, to deflect mine and bomb blast. The 4x4, 15 ton vehicle has a crew of two and carries eight troops in an armored box. The vehicle is protected against 12.7mm machine-gun bullets, and bombs and mines containing up to 21 pounds of explosives. Reactive armor can be added for protection from RPGs. The vehicle has a top road speed of 125 kilometers an hour and a max road range of 1,000 kilometers. Lots of bulletproof glass is used, and in the troops compartment, there are firing ports under the windows. The vehicle carries a gun ring, on a hatch near the front of the crew compartment, that can mount a 5.56mm or 7.62mm machine-gun. The vehicle is a comfortable ride. The army has received 152 troop carrier variants. Other types include; ambulance, command vehicle, mortar carrier (81mm or 120mm, internally mounted), engineer vehicle, bushfire fighting vehicle.
Rove was in Iraq? :-)
The Bushmaster hull will withstand blast from two TM-57 anti-tank mines (equivalent to 19kg of TNT) and has been tested extensively. ADI was slow getting Bushmaster production underway, but now it seems to have found its stride. Even so, the entry of Bushmaster into the contest for a CF APV (backed by Thales Canada) appears to have surprised DND planners but, a greater size aside, the ‘Bushie’ did fit the APV requirement.
Up Armored Humvees do not have V-shaped hulls.
http://www.adi-limited.com/video/Bushmaster.mpg
This thing is fast!
Good for the Aussies!
Yep. Looks like a winner. The 125 kph top speed equals almost 80 mph -- faster than (most) U.S. interstate highway speed limits.
To me, the main thing it lacks is armor shielding for the ring gunner...
ping
OK, LMBO on that one!
These vehicles are awsome, of course. At $670k, they ought to be.
But I'll repeat something I said almost two years ago. when the Army went to the new truck system, thousands of 2-1/2 ton and 5-ton trucks that were stuck into depot, mothballed or sold as surplus.
Those trucks all could have been quickly and cheaply modified into armored gun trucks that would have offerred more firepower and protection that any up-armored humvee. You could outfit a dozen or more of them for the cost of one Bushmaster.
They could not be made as thoroughly bomb proof as a Bushmaster, but they could be close, and they could carry the weight of armor capable of defeating small arms and heavy MG fore as well RPG fire.
Probably wasn't enough money in it for the contractors though. When it comes to systems and procurement, our military almost never looks at ways to use or adapt old equipment that is no longer useful for its original mission. Only the newest, latest toys shall be considered.
Yea, me too.
Are those toilet stall grab rails?
LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
