Now Ukraine has 20 new armored personnel carriers in service/Australian Ministry of Defense
Australia donated 20 Bushmaster armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky requested this in his address to the Australian Parliament.
Australian experts said that it was the fastest decision on the allocation of military assistance in the history of the country. Channel 24's website looked into what is special about these Australian armored personnel carriers and what you need to know about them.
Why Ukraine was provided with armored personnel carriers
In his address to the Australian government, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked for help, subsequently the country's leadership provided not only financial support, but also armored personnel carriers.
At the invitation of Minister of Defense Peter Dutton and in the presence of Major General Scott Winter, head of the ground forces, witnessed the transfer of equipment to Ukraine. Australia is donating 20 Bushmasters at a cost of 50 million AUD (38 million USD). A historic moment,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasily Miroshnichenko said on Facebook.
He added that on March 31, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the parliament with a speech and asked for Bushmaster armored personnel carriers. The next morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed his readiness to provide them. Beyond Ukrainian time, everything happened in one day.
What is Bushmaster
This is an Australian wheeled all-wheel drive armored personnel carrier. Australia needed a car in order to safely transport goods and soldiers over long distances, so in 1996 the first prototype of this armored personnel carrier appeared, and since 1998 they began to test it.
Mass production of these vehicles only began in 2005. The Bushmaster was designed for use in desert areas and can carry nine soldiers with three days' worth of food and ammunition. It is protected from 7.62 mm bullets, an 8 kg land mine explosion, and shell fragments.
In general, the Bushmaster is not a classic armored personnel carrier, but a protected one. From the very beginning, it was not intended for direct participation on the battlefield, but only for transporting military personnel to the area of the mission. But then the situation changed, and during the long development process, the car received protection against mines and ambushes.
Bushmaster/Facebook photo by Vasily Miroshnichenko
Currently, 6 main modifications of the vehicle have been developed:
- transportation of a 10-person military unit;
- commander;
- Pioneer attacks;
- fire support;
- outpatient clinics.
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Armored personnel carrier features
Bushmaster is one of the many subtypes of armored vehicles. In terms of its tactical and technical characteristics, it does not differ much from analogues, including armored vehicles from Ukrainian manufacturers, but it has a fairly large troop compartment for 9 fighters.
- Maximum combat weight – up to 15.4 tons .
- Engine power – 300 horsepower.
- Maximum speed – 100 kilometers per hour.
- Armor protection class – bulletproof up to 7.62 millimeters and 8 kilograms of land mine .
- Crew and troops – 1+9 people.
- Armament – 12.7 mm machine gun or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher
- The price is about 500 thousand Australian dollars (more than 11 million hryvnia).
Bushmaster costs about 500 thousand dollars/Facebook photo by Vasily Miroshnichenko
Who owns the Bushmaster
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Originally The Australian Defense Force (ADF) ordered 370 Bushmasters, reducing the order to 299 vehicles, which was completed until July 2005. During December 2006 – July 2012, 862 vehicles of various modifications were ordered. In total, the ADF have more than a million of these armored personnel carriers in service.
Another 106 armored personnel carriers are in the Netherlands at the operational disposal of the Netherlands Armed Forces and the Marines of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Great Britainhas 24 vehicles, which have additional protection, means of combating IEDs, a machine gun. Three vehicles are in Indonesia, 12 are at the disposal of the Jamaican Defense Forceto replace the M706 Commando. Japan has four more armored personnel carriers to evacuate its citizens in threatening situations.
In addition, Spain, Libya, and Canada are considering purchasing a Bushmaster for their own needs. Previously, this was also discussed in the United States, but at the last moment they refused to purchase 1,500 cars.
