The defence manufacturing giant will today release data that highlights the worth of Thales to the local economy, including the worth of the latest concept vehicle, the Hawkei, a baby brother to the tremendously successful Bushmaster.

The Bushmaster, a Bendigo-built specialist protected mobility vehicle, saves lives every day it is used in some of the most hostile and dangerous battlefields in the world.

Nobody has yet died in a Bushmaster, despite the best efforts of the Taliban, and the vehicle is the envy of troops engaged in the fight against terrorism.

Now, Thales has unveiled plans for its next-generation armoured vehicle, and there’s a lot for Bendigo and especially business in Bendigo to get excited about.

If the vehicle can make its way onto the shopping lists of defence forces, including our own, Thales, and therefore Bendigo, stands to reap millions of dollars through the associated spin-off for the local economy.

Current orders for the Bushmaster are expected to peak and then decline in the next few years, meaning the time is right for the next generation of Bendigo-built lifesaving military hardware to be commissioned.

Just how much the Hawkei could be worth to Bendigo will be revealed today, but it is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars locally, while for our troops, it could also prove to be the difference between life and death.

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