Dutch army adds 14 Bushmasters

Updated November 7 2012 - 12:23am, first published August 24 2009 - 10:42am

THE Dutch Government has ordered another 14 Bendigo-made Bushmaster troop carriers.The latest order, which comes on top of 14 ordered in June, takes to 86 the number of Bushmasters sold to The Netherlands. Thales land and joint systems division vice-president Ian Irving said yesterday the order was testament to the Bushmaster’s safety record. “This new order reflects the confidence the Dutch armed forces have in the Bushmaster,” he said.“It continues to provide exceptional protection and mobility to support troops in combat zones.“Our highly experienced team in Bendigo works closely with the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to fulfil their ongoing and urgent operational requirements.”The Australian Defence Force has bought more than 700 of the troop carriers and they are also used by British forces.The latest nation reported to be considering buying Bushmasters is Spain.The 15-tonne armoured four-wheel Bushmaster is designed to carry up to 10 soldiers and their gear and is specifically designed with a high degree of protection against mines.It has an exemplary safety record and is particularly popular among troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, where insurgents’ most popular weapon is the roadside bomb.No one has been killed in a Bushmaster in either conflict. There are 1800 Dutch troops in Afghanistan and Bushmasters are already in use in Uruzgan province.The Netherlands Army will be in the troubled country until at least July 2010.Federal Labor MP for Bendigo Steve Gibbons said he was “delighted” with the new order.It would help Thales in its bid for prototype funding for mobility vehicles, he said.“The Dutch military has obviously realised the value in the most capable vehicle in a theatre such as Afghanistan,” Mr Gibbons said.“Thales is still very much in the race to win prototype funding for the protected mobility vehicle.”

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