Northrop Grumman Corporation is partnering with Hanwha Defense Australia to supply Mk44 Stretch Bushmaster® Chain Guns® (Mk44S) for integration on the Hanwha Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle. As part of Australia’s LAND 400 Phase 3 program, the contract calls for the production of 129 chain guns with initial deliveries beginning in 2026. The Mk44S enables interoperability with Northrop Grumman’s advanced ammunition suite, developed for the U.S. Army, and includes the new programmable air burst munition, providing Australia with the most advanced ammunition technology. More than 20,000 Bushmaster Chain Guns are in service with 65 allied nations’ land, air and sea-based combat platforms worldwide.
Jennifer Zonneveld, director, Bushmaster Chain Guns, Northrop Grumman: “Bushmaster Chain Guns are the automatic cannon of choice for customers around the world due to their performance and reliability. In partnership with the Hanwha-led Team Redback, Northrop Grumman is providing the Australian Army with the most advanced medium caliber capability in the world, maintaining the system’s relevancy for years to come.”
The 30mm/40mm Mk44 Stretch Bushmaster® Chain Gun® is a next generation weapon available, battle-proven, and in use today. The XM813 is a variant of the Mk44S, adopted by the U.S. Army for use on the Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle. They continue the Bushmaster® tradition of excellence with its design simplicity, external power, positive round control, ease of maintenance, and constant velocity ammunition feed. The Mk44S and XM813 also fire programmable air burst munitions. They incorporate all of the battleproven features of the 25mm M242 Bushmaster® Cannon®, with significant system commonality for low-risk, proven performance.
This program will continue the Bushmaster legacy in Australia, as chain guns are currently integrated on the Australian Defence Force’s land, air and sea-based combat platforms. Northrop Grumman’s advanced ammunition suite includes the multifunction airburst munition, armor piercing and proximity fuzed ammunition, allowing crewmembers to defeat a broad range of ground and aerial threats by selecting the optimal ammunition at a moment’s notice.
Northrop Grumman is a leading producer of a complete family of 30mm tactical and target practice ammunition that is accurate and lethal in anti-armor, anti-material, anti-personnel, ground suppression, air defense and shipboard-defense applications that is fired from land-, air- and sea-based platforms worldwide.
