News Story: Fijian UN peacekeepers get armored military vehicles

An Australian Army Bushmaster in Afghanistan

SUVA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Seven armored military vehicles purchased for Fiji's military have been delivered to the Middle East from Australia for Fiji's United Nations peacekeepers, the government-owned Fiji Boradcasting Corporation (FBC) reported Tuesday.

The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles have been taken from Lebanon to the Golan Heights, said Viliame Naupoto, commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.

"They (Australia) have survived IEDs - improvised explosive devices. They have used this sort of vehicles in Afghanistan and it has been a very credible vehicle and we are very happy that our soldiers will now be covered," Naupoto told the FBC.

Read the full story at Xinhua

AUS: Meeting with Fiji's Minister for Defence and National Security

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today met with Fiji's Minister for Defence and National Security, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, in Brisbane.

Minister Payne said the relationship between the Australian Army and Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is focussed on peacekeeping and engineering capacity development.

The Australian Government has agreed to sell 10 refitted Bushmasters to Fiji for use in United Nations peacekeeping operations in the Golan Heights and Syria as well as for pre-deployment training in Fiji.

The Ministers visited Gallipoli Barracks for a briefing on the ADF Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) capability and Defence engagement with the RFMF.

The Ministers also visited the Thales Eagle Farm facility to be briefed on Fiji's PMV preparation and training of RFMF personnel.

AUS: Bushmaster sale another boost to Fiji-Australia defence partnership

An Australian Army Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle
deployed in Afghanistan

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne today welcomed the sale of 10 refurbished Australian Defence Force Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles to Fiji to support the Republic of Fiji Military Forces’ United Nations peacekeeping missions at the Golan Heights and in Syria.

“Fiji will use the vehicles to form part of the force protection mix that protects UN Observers in the Golan Heights and Syria, which includes Australian Defence Force personnel,” Minister Payne said.

“The sale of the Bushmasters is a significant milestone in Defence cooperation between Australia and Fiji.

AUS: Minister for Defence Industry Welcomes New Hawkei

Thales Hawkei (File Photo)

A major milestone has been reached in the military’s next generation Hawkei protected vehicle project as Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today witnessed the handover to Defence of two new Hawkeis.

They are the last in an initial run of ten vehicles to roll off the Thales production line in Bendigo, the same facility that produces the life-saving Bushmaster.

Mr Pyne said the new Hawkei represented a triumph both of defence capability and also the country’s burgeoning defence industry.

“The Hawkei, built right here in Australia, is another triumph of the capability of our defence industry, which is able to compete with the world’s best,” Mr Pyne said.

AUS: Minister for Defence Industry Visits Thales to Announce Global Opportunities for Australian Companies

Access to export markets and global value chains has been given a boost by the extension of Global Supply Agreements with major defence companies.

The Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, announced the extensions during a visit to Thales’ Bendigo facility to understand the company’s manufacturing capabilities for the Bushmaster and Hawkei protected mobility vehicles.

The Minister said that the Department of Defence has signed contracts with Thales and Raytheon to maximise export opportunities for capable Australian companies.

The Agreements are under the Global Supply Chain Program which is a key initiative to provide small to medium sized companies with defence and commercial bid opportunities across the Primes’ business units.

AUS: Exercise Northern Shield 2016

Australian Army soldier Private Connor McMillan from 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, conducts urban clearance training during Exercise Northern Shield 2016 (© Commonwealth of Australia 2016) >>

Troops, armour and fighter jets are fanning out across north-west Australia, as Exercise Northern Shield 16 ramps up in the Kimberley.

Three Royal Australian Navy ships – HMAS Newcastle, Ballarat and Success are patrolling oil and gas installations offshore, as F/A-18A jets prowl the skies in response to a fictitious terrorist threat in the area.

Australian Army soldiers from the Ready Combat Team have flown in from 1st Brigade in Darwin and are now patrolling Broome and Derby in their Bushmaster vehicles, working with local police as part of the Exercise scenario.

Exercise Director, Colonel Brett Chaloner, said the response from the local people has been very positive, with many offering to take part. The support of the local community and shire councils is important for the Exercise to work.

Think Tank: (Australian) DWP 2016 - the future Army

Lachlan Wilson

The new Defence White Paper outlines spending of up to $80 billion on land combat and amphibious warfare out to 2025–26. In terms of equipment modernisation, the plans have focused on greater protected mobility, situational awareness, aviation, firepower, and force sustainability. Those improvements are intended to enhance and broaden the armed forces combat and non-combat capacity.

These are the key proposals that the Army will procure and advance over the next decade:

• An agile procurement system for infantry soldiers that will allow for the continuous upgrade of key infantry weapons systems, personal equipment, and force protection
• New combat reconnaissance, infantry fighting, and protected mobility vehicles
• Upgrades to extend the operational lifespan of the M1 Abrams to 2035
• New armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aircraft
• The acquisition of a long-range rocket system by mid-2020 that will provide long-range fire support up to 300km to supplement the ADF’s current artillery capability
• Logistic enablers to aid the amphibious operations involving the newly acquired Canberra Class ships
• The re-establishment of Riverine Patrol capabilities, with a fleet of lightly armed boats for river and estuarine operations marked for delivery near 2022
• Special operations forces will receive a boost in wide range of capabilities which include high-end close combat capabilities, force protection, enhanced command and situational awareness networks, the acquisition and improvement of specialist transportation systems, and an armada of light reconnaissance and attack helicopters

AUS: Hawkei contract supports Australian defence industry

Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicles – Light   (PMV-L)

Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, the Hon Mal Brough MP, today visited the Thales Australia vehicle manufacturing facility in Bendigo, the production hub for Defence’s $1.3 billion Hawkei protected vehicles.

Defence signed a contract with Thales Australia on 5 October 2015 for the manufacture and support of 1,100 Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicles – Light   (PMV-L) and associated trailers.

Minister Brough said Thales will draw on its experience producing the Australian designed and made Bushmaster, which they have been producing since 2004 and widely recognised as one of the best protected mobility vehicles in the world.

Think Tank: Sea, air and land updates (17-Nov-2015)

James Mugg and Mercedes Page

Sea State

Much like the plot of a knock-off Bond movie, Russia made global headlines last week when a state-run TV station ‘accidentally’ revealed concept designs for a top secret nuclear torpedo. The footage was captured during a meeting on defence issues between President Putin and military commanders in Sochi, after which a spokesperson for the Kremlin said that ‘preventive measures’ would be taken in the future to avoid such leaks. Given that the weapon doesn’t exist (yet?) there’s speculation that the leak was a deliberate attempt to intimidate the West. Russia’s greatest naval asset remains their team of armed seals, at least until the ‘sharks with laser beams attached to their heads’ arrive next year.

Could closer cooperation between US and Chinese coastguards enhance maritime security and encourage more positive relations between the two powers? Lyle G. Goldstein argues in The National Interest that cooperative bilateral activities between the two coastguards on issues such as environmental protection could help establish a more positive tone between the US and China, and prevent relations being framed in a zero-sum framework.

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea (ROK) have concluded this year’s iteration of Exercise Clear Horizon, an annual sea-mine clearing exercise. The exercise involved US and ROK naval units practicing clearing shipping routes and testing interoperability.

Industry: Netherlands order 12 new Bushmasters

• Proven in service.
• Dutch total of 98 vehicles

A dozen life-saving Bushmasters are going into production in Bendigo for export to the Netherlands, after the country’s Ministry of Defence ordered new vehicles from Thales in Australia.

The vehicles will complement the 86 Bushmasters previously purchased by the Dutch customer between 2006 and 2009, and will be delivered by the middle of 2016.

Chris Jenkins, CEO Thales in Australia said: “The Bushmaster has proven itself on operations with the Dutch military in Afghanistan, and is a vital component of their Light Brigade. This export order shows the Army’s continuing confidence in the Bushmaster and its ability to protect troops in theatre. The Bushmaster vehicle has repeatedly proven to safeguard personnel against mines and improvised explosive devices”.  

The troop carrier variants will be fitted with additional composite armour, Remote Weapon Stations, and Thales’s market-leading SOTAS intercom system.

This contract, whose value remains confidential, follows other Bushmaster exports to Japan and Jamaica over the past 18 months, as well as other SOTAS exports to various countries worldwide.

Thales

AUS: Bushmasters to get self-defence upgrade

The DMO’s Land Systems Division (LSD) is delivering an upgrade that improves Army’s Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) self defence capability, now and into the future.

LSD recently signed a $6.5 million contract with Australian company Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to refurbish and upgrade 45 EOS remote weapons systems (RWS) used on the Bushmaster PMVs. This contract also includes the introduction into service of the refurbished systems.

The upgraded RWS will provide significant self-defence capability enhancements, according to the PMV Sustainment Manager, Luke Crampton.

“Improvements include upgraded sensors, a new Australian-designed stabilisation system that provides ‘shoot on the move’ capability, video tracking, video recording and enhanced C4I integration support,” Mr Crampton explained. 

Industry: Thales opens new Australian site in Townsville

Thales has strengthened its support to the Australian Defence Force with the opening of a new facility in Townsville, Queensland.

Major General Paul McLachlan, Head of Land Systems at the Defence Materiel Organisation, officially opened the facility in a ceremony also attended by Townsville MP Scott Stewart, representing the Premier of Queensland, plus Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins and other employees.

The team in Townsville will primarily support the ADF’s life-saving Bushmaster vehicles, which have proven so effective in protecting Australian troops on operations.

The Townsville facility will supplement the company’s main Bushmaster support centre at Eagle Farm, Queensland, and also the protected vehicles manufacturing facility in Bendigo, Victoria.

Kevin Wall, Thales Australia’s Protected Vehicles Vice President, said: “We are committed to providing the best support for the Bushmaster fleet around the country, and our investment in this new facility will deliver convenient services close to a major Army base.”

Thales

Industry: Thales lands contract for Thales's intercom system Sotas Lite in Australia

> Thales’s new crew intercom system.

> Sotas Lite to be installed in more than 2,500 trucks.

> Third Sotas programme in Australia.

As part of the Australia’s Land 121 Phase 3B Project, Thales has signed a contract with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia for a C4I[1] system and will supply the Sotas Lite, Thales’s new crew intercom system, to the Australian Defence Force.

In the scope of this project, the Australian Defence Force will acquire up to 2,536 medium and heavy category logistic trucks. The Phase 3B fleet will include protected vehicles, for operational deployment and tactical training, and unprotected vehicles for tactical training purposes only. Rheinmetall has been contracted to supply these vehicles by the Australian Defence Force.

Think Tank: LAND 400—equipping Australia’s Army

By Karl Claxton

Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ confirmation on Monday that tenders were finally about to open for LAND 400—a $10 billion project to replace Army’s thousand or so M113, ASLAV, and Bushmaster combat vehicles—sparked considerable interest from industry and Premiers but little from analysts. His announcement yesterday that Government has given the project first pass approval and released a request for tenders is likely to attract greater attention. The first tender will be to replace our ASLAVs, due for retirement around 2021. Specifications for their heavier and lighter counterparts are to be confirmed in the coming white paper (PDF).

Most commentators have been hostile toward the project from its inception a decade ago. The key complaint arises from a disconnect between strategic guidance in the 2000, 2009 and 2013 white papers, directing that equipment acquisitions be prioritised around what’s needed to prevent attacks against Australia and contribute to stability in our immediate region, and LAND 400’s focus on platforms for high-intensity contemporary and future operations including amphibious assault.

Editorial: Australia and the Asian Arms Race

Australian Bushmaster (File Photo)

By Jarni Blakkarly

Australia is rapidly boosting its weapons imports…and is aiming to increase its exports.

Asia now leads the world in growth in military spending, with arms sales to Asia and Oceania accounting for 47 percent of global arms trade. While military spending in and around the South China Sea often grabs headlines, as does India and Pakistan’s increased imports, Australia has also significantly increased its budget.

New figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show Australian imports of major arms increased by 83 percent in the five years to 2013. Australia is now the seventh biggest importer of major weapons in the world.

Despite austere budget cutbacks in every other area of government expenditure, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has allocated a six percent military budget increase of around A$1.5 billion ($1.4 bilion). He also announced that Australia would buy a further 58 U.S. made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Australia’s major arms imports mostly come from the U.S., and Australia is now America’s single biggest major arms customer. In addition to the F-35s, which are due to enter service by 2020, Australia also has eight Poseidon surveillance planes, two amphibious assault ships [PacificSentinel Note: The 2 new LHD's are NOT American, but rather Spanish], and seven Triton surveillance drones on order from the U.S.

Australia now buys 10 percent of all U.S. weapons exports. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: Thales Sees Potential UK Market for Hawkei

By ANDREW CHUTER

PARIS — British Army requirements for a multirole protected vehicle is a potential target for Thales as the company brings its Hawkei machine to Eurosatory as part of an international sales drive.

The Australian arm of Thales had left-hand and right-hand drive variants of the vehicle on display at the defense show, which opened here Monday.

“We expect to be a bidder” for the multirole vehicle protected program, said Alex Cresswell, Thales executive vice president for land and air systems.

The right-hand drive vehicle is being shipped to the UK immediately after Eurosatory closes its doors on Friday to take part in the Ministry of Defence’s DVD exhibition at Millbrook, Cresswell told reporters.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Industry: Thales awards vehicle component subcontract to Geelong manufacturer

Thales Hawkei (File Photo)

Thales Australia has pre-awarded a $5 million contract to RPC Technologies, an Australian specialist engineering company, to manufacture dashboard assemblies for the company’s new Hawkei vehicle.

The work is conditional on Thales securing a long-term contract with the Department of Defence for Hawkei. It would be carried out at RPC’s manufacturing facilities in Geelong, Victoria, and help sustain jobs over the four-year period of the contract.

Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said: “RPC has the expertise required for the production of military vehicles. Their commitment to excellence in manufacturing and value for money will benefit the Hawkei project, while also securing supply chain skills in Victoria.”

Tony Caristo, Managing Director of RPC Technologies, said: “RPC is thrilled about the opportunity to work with Thales on the Hawkei project supplying the dashboard assemblies. RPC has a history of supporting Thales, having been involved with the Bushmaster program and also Thales Underwater Systems. This contract will help to secure the workforce of the Geelong plant and build RPC’s presence in Defence.”

News Story: Japan has ordered four Bushmaster 4x4 armoured vehicles from Thales Australia

Australian Army Bushmaster (File Photo)

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.”

Read the full story at Army Recognition

AUS: Jakarta International Defence Dialogue a success

Senator David Johnston

Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston has praised the Indonesian Government for hosting a “very successful” international defence summit in Jakarta.

Senator Johnston made the comments at the end of two days of what he described as “very productive” talks and discussions with senior Indonesian officials and foreign defence heads during the Jakarta International Defence Dialogue (JIDD) which ended today.

“The Jakarta dialogue was very well attended by regional countries including by our friends from ASEAN, the United States and European countries,” Senator Johnston said.

“I should stress, the Australian delegation I led was received with first class hospitality – we were warmly welcomed by our Indonesian hosts.

News Story: Jamaica Defense Forces to acquire 12 Bushmaster armoured personnel carrier from Thales Australia

Cabinet of Jamaica government has approved a five-year recapitalisation project for the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) which will see the JDF replacing obsolete and mainly unserviceable V150 armoured cars in its fleet. Under the project, the JDF (Jamaica Defense Forces) will acquire 12 Thales Australia Bushmaster armoured personnel carriers (APCs) a report from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said.

At present, the JDF has a complement of 14 Cadillac Gage V150s, 10 of which were acquired 37 years ago in 1976 and the other four were acquired in 1985, according to the OPM.

Over the course of their service life within the JDF, the vehicles have been utilized as critical enablers in many high risk situations such as internal security deployments in support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as well as pre and post disaster response and rescue operations.

Delivery of the armoured vehicles will commence in 2015.

Read the full story at Army Recognition