The Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) confirmed on 1 July that it has converted one of its in-service Bushmaster 4×4 vehicles into an Electronic Warfare variant. Due to the confidential nature of the unit, the transfer took place behind closed doors. The vehicle is an existing Bushmaster armored infantry vehicle that has been completely converted. This modification was undertaken partly on the basis of the experiences that military personnel have gained during the missions in Mali and Iraq. The Multirole Electronic Warfare Bushmaster, delivered to 102 Electronic Warfare Company, is equipped with five computer workstations and equipment that will allow it to analyse and disrupt radio communication at certain frequencies.
In July 2006 the Dutch Government announced an urgent purchase of 25 Bushmasters to equip Royal Netherlands Army units operating in Afghanistan. Due to the urgency of this purchase these vehicles were taken from Australian Army stocks. Additional Bushmasters will be built to replenish the Australian inventory. 23 Bushmasters were directly delivered to Dutch Army units in Afghanistan starting from 28 August. The remaining two vehicles were transported to the Netherlands to be used for training purposes. Twelve of the Bushmasters were fitted with a Thales SWARM remote weapon station before delivery. In January 2009, another batch of 9 vehicles was ordered, these vehicles to be fitted with cameras, sensors and a grappler to find and destroy Improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In August 2009, another vehicles were ordered, bringing the total Dutch order to 86.
The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle or Infantry Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built four-wheel drive armoured vehicle. The Bushmaster was primarily designed by the then government-owned Australian Defence Industries (ADI), and is currently produced by Thales Australia with a support contract provided by Oshkosh Truck following the acquisition of ADI. The role of the Bushmaster is to provide protected mobility transport (or protected troop lift capability), with infantry dismounting from the vehicle before going into action.The Bushmaster is currently in service with the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Netherlands Army, British Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force, Fiji Infantry Regiment, Indonesian Army, Jamaica Defence Force and the New Zealand Army.
The Bushmaster is a mine protected vehicle and provides a high degree of protection against land mines, using its v-hull monocoque to deflect the blast away from the vehicle and its occupants. The vehicle’s armour provides protection against small arms of up to 7.62 mm ball ammunition, 81mm mortar fragments, Claymore mines, and with additional applique armour, protection for armour-piercing ammunition of up to 7.62mm. The fuel and hydraulic tanks of the vehicle are located outside the crew compartment, while it also has an automatic fire suppression system. The Bushmaster is air transportable by C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and Mil Mi-26 aircraft. It is the first armoured vehicle to be designed and completely manufactured in Australia since the Sentinel tank during World War II.
