Bushmaster

An Australian-designed 4x4 mine-protected troop carrier built by Thales Australia, widely combat-proven in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Australian, Dutch, British and other allied forces for its exceptional mine and IED survivability.

In service since 2004 · 8 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

100

km/h

800

km range

7.6

mm gun

14,500

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Australia export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Established · 8 operators

In service since 2004. Status: active · ~1,000 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

7.62 NATO

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 100 km/h

Stronger than 69% of IFVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 800 km

Stronger than 86% of IFVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 7.62 mm machine gun (turret-mounted)
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 7.6 mm

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Monocoque V-hull steel armor, mine-protected
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 7.18 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 14,500 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 2
Troop capacity Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.: 8

Stronger than 62% of IFVs

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: Caterpillar 3126E turbo-diesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 300 hp

Stronger than 23% of IFVs
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel (wheeled 4x4)

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 1,000

Stronger than 50% of IFVs
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 8

Stronger than 82% of IFVs

Specifications compiled from public Thales Group and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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