Bushmaster Gets High-Tech Upgrade to Combat Drone Threat

Bushmaster Gets High-Tech Upgrade to Combat Drone Threat

Thales Australia and US company Dedrone by Axon have unveiled a high-tech upgrade to the Australian Army's Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles. This upgrade aims to combat the growing threat posed by armed drones, which have been used with devastating effect in the Ukraine war.

The new technology, a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) capability, was demonstrated for the first time in Victoria. It is designed to protect personnel from drone attacks while the vehicle is on the move, using "smart jamming" technology.

"The beauty of this system means that the 'on the move' will detect the drone many, many kilometres away and allow you to smart attack the drone without even needing to see it," said DeDrone by Axon representative Ash Alexander-Cooper.

Mitchell O'Dwyer from Thales Australia said the new technology is a "natural next progression" for the Bushmaster, which has been used by the army since the 1990s and is known for its survivability against ground-level explosives.

"Protection and mobility are the key components of land manoeuvre for a vehicle such as the Bushmaster, and being able to counter the threats that we see in those emerging theatres around the world at the moment is critical to be able to sustain that capability," he said.

So far, the Australian Defence Force has not fitted its existing fleet of Bushmasters with C-UAS protection. However, last year they sought market proposals for a counter-drone system that would deliver a "minimum viable capability" for the Army's entire land force by the end of 2032.

This project, known as LAND 156, aims to deliver capabilities to protect deployed forces, both domestically and internationally, as well as to secure infrastructure, expeditionary bases, dismounted personnel and all classes of ADF vehicles.

Since the start of the war, Australia has sent 120 Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine, as part of more than $1.3 billion in military support. This support has been provided by both the Coalition and Labor governments.

However, there have been concerns about the delivery of Australia's Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has said that the second-hand American-made tanks were needed by Ukraine's armed forces three years into the war against Russia's invasion.

"The Ukrainians need support, and they need it in the form of defence materiel, including these Abrams tanks. The government should have got them to Ukraine by now," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged the logistical challenges of delivering the tanks to Ukraine, but has said that his government is "doing everything" to continue providing support in an "expedited way".