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Australian MoD Awards $200 Million Army Transport Contract
;The Minister for Defence, John Moore, today announced that Australian company, ADI Ltd, has been selected as preferred tenderer to manufacture and support 350 Infantry Mobility Vehicles (IMVs) for the Australian Defence Force.
;ADI's Bushmaster vehicle was selected after exhaustive testing in a wide variety of Australian conditions and competed against a vehicle offered by Australian Specialised Vehicle Systems.
;"The introduction of the Bushmaster will provide the Australian Army with one of its most significant Land Force assets," Mr Moore said. "It will provide the mobility required by a modern army."
;"Bushmaster is an Australian design with a high level of Australian industry involvement and expertise. When production gets under way, it will generate a significant number of jobs."
;The Bushmaster has been very favourably received by Infantry soldiers. Its innovative design prioritises their safety and welfare, within a high-performance IMV that meets specific Army requirements. Features include:
;- Capacity for nine, fully-equipped soldiers
;- Protection against small arms fire and mine blasts
;- Airconditioning, ergonomic seats and chilled water to improve habitability during extended deployments
;- Stowage capacity for three days of operations
;- 4WD with automatic transmission and central tyre inflation system
;- Highway speeds of 100km/h+
;"In addition to deploying soldiers quickly, these new, all-terrain Bushmasters will deliver our troops in better condition and afford them a superior level of protection," Mr Moore said.
;"As well as testing the operational suitability of the shortlisted vehicles, Defence technical experts assessed their engineering, durability and maintenance attributes, over thousands of kilometres ranging from sub-zero temperatures in the Snowy Mountains to Australia's tropical Top End.
;"It was a thorough process that produced a conclusive result in favour of the ADI Bushmaster."
Production is scheduled to commence in mid-2000 at ADI's Bendigo facility, with the first of 350 vehicles entering service two years later.
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Australian MoD Awards $200 Million Army Transport Contract