Australia actions Bushmaster delivery to Ukraine

Key details relating to Australia’s commitment to deliver a fleet of locally-built Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine have been revealed by the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence this morning.

Today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia would gift Ukraine 20 Bushmasters, including two ambulance variants, to support their military campaign against the Russian invasion in response to a recent request from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his remote address to a joint sitting of Federal Parliament last Thursday evening (31 March).

The Bushmasters have been painted olive green to better suit Ukraine’s battlefield environment, with a Ukrainian flag painted on either side alongside “United with Ukraine” in English and Ukrainian while the ambulance variants will represent the standard Red Cross. 

The vehicles are reportedly furnished with radio, GPS and “additional bolt-on armour”, with training of the systems to be conducted via video. 

Last week, Prime Minister Morrison revealed the government was reviewing Bushmaster stocks to determine the number and nature of a delivery to Ukraine via a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster.

The government was also exploring whether it could source Bushmasters from a European ally to reduce delivery delays.

However, today the prime minister has stated the delivery method would not be disclosed at the request of the Ukrainian government. 

The Bushmaster commitment takes Australia’s Defensive Military Assistance support to Ukraine to $165 million, and follows a pledge to deliver tactical decoys, unmanned aerial and unmanned ground systems, rations and medical supplies.

The government has also previously announced the provision of $65 million in humanitarian assistance, 70,000 tonnes of thermal coal, and the granting of temporary protection visas and support for Ukrainian community groups in Australia.

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