Australia is sending to Ukraine 20 Bushmaster armored vehicles worth $38M

The decision to transfer MRAP Bushmaster PMV armored vehicles to Ukraine was the fastest decision on military assistance provision in Australian history.

Militarnyi informs about it.

At the invitation of Peter Dutton, Secretary of Defense, and in the presence of Scott Winter, Major General, Commander of the Land Forces, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia Vasyl Miroshnychenko witnessed the transfer of equipment to Ukraine, which he reported on his Facebook page.

“Australia is sending over 20 Bushmaster vehicles worth AUD 50 million (USD 38 million). A historic moment.” wrote Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia.

The Ukrainian Ambassador noted, that according to the Australian national security experts, this was the fastest decision on military assistance provision in the country’s history.

“President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the parliament [of Australia] on March 31 and asked for Bushmaster armored personnel carriers. The next morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed his readiness to ship them. In the Ukrainian time zone, everything happened within one day,” Myroshnychenko noted.

Australia has announced its intention to hand over Bushmaster PMV armored vehicles to Ukraine on April 1, 2022.

On April 5, it became known that the first batch of MRAP Bushmaster PMV is being prepared to be shipped from Australia to Ukraine.

The Bushmaster protective mobility vehicle is an Australian MRAP produced by Thales Australia. Its mass production was launched in 2005.

Bushmaster is designed and built to protect up to 9 soldiers, and combines high levels of blast and ballistic protection with excellent off-road mobility.

Australia has a fleet of over 1,000 such MRAPs.