The Japanese Ministry of Defence has ordered four Bushmaster 4x4 armoured vehicles for deployment with the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF). The vehicles, all troop carrier variants, will be manufactured at the company’s facility in Bendigo, Victoria in Australia, for delivery in late 2014.

Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said: “This new export order demonstrates the ongoing significance and versatility of the Bushmaster vehicle.

With effective operational deployment across Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bushmaster has proven its effectiveness across urban landscapes as well as mountainous regions, making it uniquely suited to Japan’s geographic and urban environments.

This is the first time that Thales is providing platforms to Japan. Our aim is to be customer focused and to offer Thales Group’s seamless and convenient services and technologies to our customers in Japan. We look forward to working closely with the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force as these vehicles enter service.”

The Thales Bushmaster is a highly mobile, ballistics, mine and improvised explosive device (IED) blast resistant Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV).

The standard Bushmaster Thales is equipped with a remote weapon station, armed with a 5,56 mm or 12,7 mm machine gun.

Bushmaster provides a unique level of protection and survivability through its mobility, monocoque veeshaped armoured hull, and passive and active protection measures. An additionnal armour can be mounted to the hull of the vehicle.

The Thales Bushmaster is a true success story with over 1,000 vehicles already sold in Australia, the Netherlands and Jamaica.

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