Australia orders more Bushmasters

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SYDNEY, June 22 (UPI) -- Australia's Department of Defense has ordered 101 additional Bushmaster armored vehicles from Thales Australia.

The contract is a further vote of confidence in the Bushmaster, which has performed well on operations and helped save the lives of numerous Australian troops, the company said.

The new Bushmasters will be used to replace damaged vehicles and to support current and future operations.

"This success is the result of extensive R&D, engineering and Australian manufacturing expertise," said Thales Australia Chief Executive Officer Chris Jenkins.

"The teams based at our facility in Bendigo, Victoria, have wide-ranging skills and experience that enable us to work closely with the Defense Materiel Organization and the (Australian military) to continually enhance the Bushmaster family of vehicles to meet evolving requirements.

Thales said the order means continued production through 2012.

The contract takes the total number of Bushmasters ordered by the Department of Defense to 838.

The monetary value of the contract and the delivery schedule weren't disclosed.