Thales Bendigo on verge of major coup

A JOINT initiative between Thales Australia and Kongsberg Defence Australia has been named as one of two contenders to provide land-based, long-range strike capability to the Australian Army.

Thales’s StrikeMaster launcher vehicle is based on its Bendigo-made Bushmaster vehicle with two Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles mounted on top.

Kongsberg Defence’s alternative option is its Precision Strike Missile fired from Lockheed Martin’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launcher vehicle.

Currently in use in nine countries, the Bushmaster is renowned for its high levels of protection and mobility.

A competitive evaluation will occur throughout the course of next year as part of the selection process.

When Labor came to power in 2022, Thales Bendigo had no Federal Government contracts to secure the continued manufacture of its protected mobility vehicles.

But since being elected, the Government has invested $200 million to purchase an additional 93 Bushmasters and secure operations at the Bendigo site.

Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters said it is an extraordinary opportunity for Thales Australia and everyone who works at its Bendigo manufacturing facility.

“I have fought for the Thales Bendigo site to remain open, and I will continue to fight to protect defence manufacturing jobs in our community,” she said.

“Bendigo has a long relationship with Defence and a proud defence manufacturing history – manufacturing the StrikeMaster could be the next exciting chapter.”

Thales Australia employs 4300 people across 35 locations in Australia, and designs and manufactures both the Bushmaster and Hawkei vehicles at its local site.