Motoring along
Volume 11, No. 45, June 15, 2006
By Hugh McKenzie

Mobile muscle: A pack of Bushmasters from A Coy 6RAR move off from their field base during cordon training at Puckapunyal. Photo by Lt Cameron Jamieson

THE last of 152 troop variants of the Infantry Mobility Vehicle (IMV) were handed over from ADI to DMO at the production facility in Bendigo on June 7.

After the production contract was signed in July 2002 the initial 11 vehicles were produced at a low rate of one a month as a means of developing the production line. The remaining 141 troop variants were produced at the rate of 10 a month.

The Director Wheeled Manoeuvre Program Systems Office, Col Bill Horrocks, said the contract called for a fleet of 299 IMVs. The remaining variants will take the form of a command variant and variants for the Assault Pioneers, ambulance, mortar, and direct fire weapons.

“This handover also marks the beginning of construction of the 74 command variants,” he said
Designed, developed and built in Australia, ADI describes the Bushmaster as “a world class vehicle with capabilities unparalleled by any comparable vehicle in operation anywhere in the world today”.

The vehicle has received widespread acclaim among soldiers and has been deployed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. There has been significant international interest in the capability with the US currently trialling a Bushmaster.

Col Horrocks said that the Bushmaster was highly relevant to the modern battlefield.

“Its specifications are consistent with the Hardened and Networked Army as required in the 2003 Defence Capability review,” he said.

“The IMV protects against anti-vehicular and anti-personnel blast mines, mortar splinters and small arms ammunition. It’s been designed to provide exceptional mobility to Australian forces and carries three days supplies for extended operations.”

The vehicle range is about 600-800km dependent on terrain.