6 RAR visit Thales's Bushmaster production facility in Bendigo
21 May 2009
The troops - part of 6 RAR's Support Company, equipped with Bushmasters - have extensive operational experience with the vehicle from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This visit is part of Support Company's professional development program," said Major John Papalitsas, the Company's Officer Commanding, who arrived in Bendigo with a convoy of Bushmasters from the Army's Puckapunyal base.
"As a motorised company we want to build our knowledge of the Bushmaster by looking in detail at its manufacturing process and meeting the highly skilled people who make it. "The production methods are very sophisticated, and it is great for the diggers to see how it all fits together. It really deepens their understanding of a vehicle they use every day. "Support Company's motto is ‘detect, enable and destroy', and the Bushmaster is a platform enabling us to fulfil that mission.
"It is a great vehicle, and because it's made here in Australia we are able to visit the manufacturing plant."
The visitors also took the opportunity to demonstrate their extensive capabilities to Thales's employees, setting up four Bushmaster variants and associated equipment to showcase different mission profiles.
"This is all about a two-way process," Major Papalitsas continued. "It‘s important to show how we use the vehicles on operations. I think the employees really appreciated seeing all the kit in an operational context - everything from mortars to reconnaissance capabilities and direct fire weapons."
Ian Cook, Thales's Protected Mobility Systems General Manager, paid tribute to the visitors. "We really appreciate the opportunity to deepen our relationship with the Bushmaster's actual users and we value their unique insights."
"These troops are at the sharp end of military operations, and we are deeply impressed at the work they do and their commitment to Australia. We're extremely proud to be able to support them in their important contribution to our country."
About Thales
Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing Aerospace and Space, Defence and Security markets worldwide. 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. Thales's leading-edge technology is supported by 22,500 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. The Group builds its growth on its unique multidomestic 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 2008 revenues of €12.7 billion (equivalent of AUD22.1 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 around 3,500 people in over 35 sites across the country, Thales Australia recorded revenues of more than AUD1 billion in 2008.
Press contact
Libby Noble
Thales Australia
+61 (0)2 9562 3150
+61 (0)434 155 881
libby.noble@thalesgroup.com.au
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
