Defence Minister visits home of the Bushmaster
07 November 2008
The visit follows a recent Commonwealth order for 293 more vehicles, taking the Australian Defence Force's total to 736.
Thales in Australia offers a unique strategic capability to the ADF, and has unrivalled expertise in developing, manufacturing and supporting Protected Mobility Vehicles.
Thales's highly-skilled workforce in Bendigo works extensively with over 100 SMEs and suppliers in the Bushmaster's production, with long-term contracts helping create jobs and expertise.
An Australian success story that has been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bushmaster is an example of how vehicles can be tailored to specific local requirements, with contractor and customer developing a close working relationship over many years. Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia's managing director, said the Bendigo facility provided numerous benefits to Victoria and Australia as a whole.
"Delivering locally-produced world class vehicles creates a capability advantage for the ADF and helps protect our service personnel in theatre.
"Because we are based here in Australia, we can offer facilities and expertise which enable us to respond quickly to the customer's evolving requirements.
"We have invested heavily in Bendigo, and are well-placed to meet the Commonwealth's specific requirements over the coming years, as well as continue to build our export markets."
About Thales
Thales is a leading international group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide. Thales's expertise in its core markets spans the entire value chain, providing all the capabilities its customers require, from equipment and systems to comprehensive support services, and including prime contracting on large-scale programs. Thales's leadingedge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. To this end, the group's civil and military businesses develop in parallel and share a common base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. The group builds its growth on its unique multi-domestic strategy based on trusted partnerships with national customers and market players, while leveraging its global expertise to support local technology and industrial development. Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with revenues in 2007 of AUD21.5 billion.
Thales Australia is a trusted partner of the Australian Defence Force and is also present in commercial sectors ranging from air traffic management to security systems and services. Employing 3,700 people in over 35 sites around the country, Thales Australia recorded revenues in 2007 amounting to over AUD1 billion.
Press contact
Libby Noble
Thales Australia
+61 2 9562 3150/+61 (0)434 155 881
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