Thales Australia has transformed the combat-proven Bushmaster from a protected mobility vehicle into a mobile strike and counter-drone platform.
Through the integration of Thales’ RapidStriker system and a partnership with STARK for its Cascade loitering munitions, the Bushmaster Dual Cab offers new counter-UAS capabilities and precision-strike effects.
Thales says the Bushmaster has also been optimised to support intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, with onboard systems designed to process and combine information in real time.
RapidStriker is a scalable mobile counter-UAS solution combining 360-degree surveillance, automated fire control and advanced threat neutralisation technologies, including 70mm laser-guided and unguided rockets systems designed to counter drones, helicopters and other aerial threats.
When integrated onto the Bushmaster Dual Cab, RapidStriker can reportedly detect, identify, track and neutralise targets within seconds before rapidly relocating to deal with the next threat.
Demonstrated alongside the Bushmaster, STARK’s tube-launched loitering munition ‘Cascade’ provides a complementary precision strike capability. The loitering munition boasts a range of up to 100 kilometres carrying a 4.5 kilograms payload, allowing small mobile units to strike strategic targets like command posts, logistics hubs, artillery positions and air defence systems deep behind enemy lines. Cascade can be fielded in swarms from a multi-cell launcher mounted onto the Bushmaster.
The demonstration coincides with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Thales Australia and STARK to advance the development, manufacture and deployment of loitering munitions in Australia.
“The Bushmaster has protected Australian and allied soldiers for more than twenty years. Today, we’re demonstrating how this proven platform continues to evolve to meet the threats of the next twenty years," Jeff Connolly, CEO, Thales Australia and New Zealand, said.
“The integration of RapidStriker into Bushmaster and our partnership with STARK provide a new capability that combines mobility, survivability and multi-domain strike together in a highly capable operational solution. It’s a powerful example of how Australian industry can shape, protect and dominate the modern battlespace.
“This innovation reflects Thales Australia’s commitment to advanced technologies to keep our troops and our allies safe and mission-ready.”
“Modern forces need to be able to add new capabilities to proven platforms quickly, rather than wait for entirely new systems. Cascade was designed for exactly this kind of modular integration. Combining it with Bushmaster creates a mobile precision-strike capability with up to 100 kilometres of range that we are able to field immediately," Johannes Schaback, CTO of STARK, said.