Thales and Oshkosh team for Australian fleet-upgrade

Thales has joined with Oshkosh Defence to submit seven vehicles to the Australian Army for Comparative Evaluation Testing as part of Australia‘s Land 121 “Overlander” programme.

Phase 3 of Overlander seeks to upgrade the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) fleet with more than 3000 light, medium and heavy military trucks as well as approximately 3000 trailers.

Thales Australia and Oshkosh are competing for the Medium/Heavy Capability segment of Phase 3, which seeks to procure more than 2000 Military-Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) trucks.
“Overlander” is undergoing a refresh and Comparative Evaluation Testing of all tenderer’s vehicles following changes to ADF requirements. Comparative testing is expected to be conducted through October 2009, the two companies say in a joint release.

Oshkosh Defence is submitting five variants based on its US Marine Corps Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) platform for Comparative Evaluation Testing alongside two Thales Bushmaster Single Cab vehicles, which are variants of the combat-proven Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle.
“Oshkosh Defense and Thales Australia bring to this program the best military logistic vehicles for the ADF fleet,” says Andy Hove, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Defence.

“The MTVR is combat proven, operating successfully with US forces in a number of different combat operations. Its exceptional off-road mobility means no mission is out of reach.”
“Every soldier deserves the highest level of protection,” said Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia‘s Managing Director. “Together, Thales Australia and Oshkosh Defense can provide the ADF with a vehicle range that offers exceptional crew protection, mobility, combat flexibility and reliability.
“The Thales Bushmaster has served the Australian and Dutch armed forces successfully in operational deployment, protecting and saving lives during numerous incidents.”

Pic: The Oshkosh MTVR