Copperhead expands Bushmaster family

Christopher F Foss

Tuesday, 17 June, 2008

Thales Australia is launching its Copperhead armoured logistic support vehicle (ALSV) at Eurosatory this year as a further addition to an expanding family of Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicles (IMVs).
Copperhead is based on the standard Bush master IMV concept with a fully armourprotected powerpack and air-conditioned crew compartment at the front. The area to the rear of the cab is a flatbed on which loads of up to 3.5 tonnes can be carried, but with upgraded suspension this could be increased to 5 tonnes. A mechanical handling system could be fitted to allow for rapid unloading. Current Copperhead gross vehicle weight is being quoted as 15 tonnes, but this too could be increased with an upgraded suspension system. Maximum governed road speed is 100km/h and the 292-litre fuel tank gives a maximum operating range of 800km. Bushmaster is fully air-transportable in a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The Copperhead ALSV being shown at Eurosatory is a pre-production example and was built by the company as a private venture as a result of feedback from a prototype vehicle that was a conversion of an early Bushmaster IMV. Bushmaster IMV was originally developed to meet the specific operational requirements of the Australian Army for an armoured vehicle capable of transporting troops and their equipment over long distances so that they arrived in a ready-to-fight condition.
According to Ian Thompson, Bushmaster business development manager for Europe, the Bushmaster IMV “has a balanced capability between functionality, mobility and protection and when compared to an 8x8 vehicle provides 80 per cent of its functionality at 30 per cent of its cost”.
So far, Australia has ordered just over 700 Bushmaster IMVs (including options), with additional sales being made to the Netherlands (46, with deliveries still underway) and more recently the UK (about 24). Bushmaster is deployed by Australia in Afghanistan and Iraqand by the Netherlands in Afghanistan. It is understood that the UK is deploying Bush master for an undisclosed role in Afghanistan, with the vehicle being optimised to meet specific UK requirements including electronic devices to counter improvised explosive devices.
In addition to the IMV variant, Australia deploys a number of variants including ambulance, assault pioneer, command, direct fire weapons and 81mm mortar carrier. It can be fitted with various weapons including a .50 (12.7mm) remote-controlled weapon station.