Sustainment: Bushmaster PMV: Multirole workhorse with a future | ADM September 2012

With its high levels of protection, excellent mobility and ready adaptability, the Bushmaster PM V will form an integral component of the multi-role combat brigades as the Army positions itself for future contingencies under Plan Beersheba.

Locally developed and built by Thales Australia (with numerous local suppliers), the Bushmaster PMV has been acquired in considerable numbers for the ADF, with more ordered recently to replace attrition vehicles (including those IED damaged). To date a total of 838 Bushmaster PMVs in seven variants (troop, command, mortar, assault pioneer, direct fire weapon, ambulance and air defence) have been ordered. Production of a further 214 will commence in October 2012, based on successive tranches of 50 vehicles, with orders dependent on Thales meeting key milestones for the development of Hawkei into a suitable vehicle for Project Land 121 Phase 4.

There are currently 737 Bushmaster PMVs in service comprising 326 Troop; 156 Command; 94 Direct Fire; 63 Ambulance; 41 Mortar; 37 Assault Pioneer; and 20 Air Defence variants. These, together with another 101 vehicles nearing completion, are allocated to all of Army’s combat elements as well as to the Air Force, and are deployed overseas in Afghanistan. Defence does not release the number of Bushmaster PMVs in the MEAO for operational security reasons but says three variants, troop, command and mortar, are being used in support of operations where they are currently deployed with the mentoring and advisory element based on the 3rd Battalion RAR Task Group, the Special Operations Task Group, and other units. Since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan, 53 Bushmaster PMVs in Army service have been written off due to battle damage, with none the result of an accident. Here, it has to be said, that despite the close to 100 Bushmaster PMVs (including those of the Dutch and British armies) that have been hit by IEDs/mines in the MEAO , none have resulted in fatalities.

Fleet support

Maintenance and support of the Bushmaster fleet is carried out by both Army and Thales Australia, supported by Joint Logistics Command. The Army delivers repair and maintenance in unit and formation locations and employs the OEM for deeper levels of support at its facilities in Brisbane and Bendigo. Warehousing and distribution for repair parts, consumables, and so on is handled by Joint Logistics Command, under the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) which also manages the contract with Thales for the sustainment, through life support and upgrade of the fleet. It appears that Thales has not been able to secure in-theatre support of their vehicles in the MEAO . At Tarin Kot the Camp Holland workshop’s RAEME tradesmen undertake scheduled servicing tasks and medium grade repair task for the Bushmaster PMV’s engine and transmission, and other equipment such as the Protected Weapon systems. Bushmasters that have sustained light (cosmetic) damage can usually be repaired and certified by the local engineering staff. Those assessed as damaged beyond the repair capability of the Camp Holland workshop are returned to Australia for further inspection assessment by the DMO and Army.

Protection

Aside from its vee-shaped monocoque hull, designed to deflect blast, and thus a key feature in saving the lives of personnel, operational enhancements applied to deployed Bushmasters, include the fitment of both EOS and Kongsberg protected weapons stations, internal fragmentation protection, and energy absorbing seating and flooring.

According to Thales a new GEN 3 seat is being developed with seat supplier Stratos which will have demonstrated improved blast mitigation over the GEN2 seats that were recently introduced into MEAO . Other recent improvements include the strengthening of both front and rear compartments. Protective upgrades for MEAO deployed vehicles include bolt-on composite armour, attached or removed according to mission needs while another development, which has yet to win ADF orders, is RPG protection based on Plasan’s FlexFence system.

Bushmasters have also been equipped with SPARK Mine Roller kits for route clearance, and nine Dutch Bushmaster PMVs were equipped with an interrogation arm designed to help crews uncover, investigate and examine suspect items such as IEDs from within the Bushmaster. These however were not adopted by the ADF.

Bushmaster post-Afghanistan

Defence says the Bushmaster PMV is to provide an enduring protected mobility capability for Army as operations draw down in Afghanistan. Army is currently reviewing its force structure and equipment provisioning as part of Plan Beersheba for which Bushmaster will be an integral component, particularly within the Multi-role Combat Brigades. The plan will also see the Bushmaster more widely distributed across Army.

Under Plan Beersheba, the Darwinbased 1st Brigade, Townsville-based 3^rd Brigade and Brisbane-based 7th Brigade will be restructured into three new multirole combat/manoeuvre brigades, better able to conduct a range of concurrent missions. These forces will be fundamentally alike and equipped with their own armour, artillery, infantry, communications, engineer and logistic elements, making them better able to sustain operations.

Within the new formation, there will be 10 smaller battle group manoeuvre units. The 2nd Division will support these brigades, providing additional capacity and as part of the Army’s drive to develop a world class amphibious capability, an infantry battalion will be dedicated to providing ‘tip of the spear’ amphibious capability, enabled by other elements from the ‘Ready’ and enabling Brigades.

PMV roles to expand?

With the formation of readily deployable combat brigades under the plan, each with their small battle group manoeuvre units, there would seem to be the potential for expanded roles for Bushmaster PMVs in command and possibly combat support roles.

Bushmaster PMVs are being equipped with the Battle Group C3 capabilities under Land 200 including the Elbit Battle Management Systems (BMS) and supporting communications backbone, provided separately under JP 2072.

Together with the BMS in soldier (dismounted) form, these projects provide the physical capabilities of what is emerging as the first fully networked battle group based on mounted and dismounted members of 6 RAR, a motorised infantry battalion equipped with Bushmaster PMVs and supported by other combined arms team units within 7 Brigade. Full operational capability for 7 Brigade is anticipated in 2013, after which the BMS will be rolled out to 1 Brigade, then 3 Brigade in a process which is scheduled to be completed in 2017, but might be accelerated under pressure from Plan Beersheba.

The Battle Group C3 system is being integrated into Bushmaster PMVs, upgraded M113 APCs as well as G-Wagon, Unimog and Mack logistic vehicles with BAE Systems contracted to upgrade the vehicles for the installation of the system. The next phase of the program includes BMS installation in the ASLAVs of 7 and 1 Brigades.

Due to the vehicle’s adaptability with reconfigurable seating and stowage, ADM understands Bushmaster PMVs have been modified to cater for special mission needs. ADM suspects that for deployed SOTG operations vehicles need not only the protection and firepower to deal with their dangerous missions, but also the communications to support combat air support (CAS) and other roles including FO/JTAC.

The complexity and variety of equipment needed for Bushmaster command variants at the company level within battle groups is surprising. For the company HQ Command Post the Bushmaster PMV is equipped with three BMS screens and up to six radios for BMS data and voice needs including multiple AN/PRC-152 with one providing TACSAT, PRC-150(C) HF manpack and EPLRS. And Defence has indicated that a number of the latest batch of Bushmaster vehicles ordered include those destined for artillery C2 operations.

ADM assumes these will be similarly equipped to HQ command post variants, with multiple BMS screens, digital communications together with the screens for the AFATDS automated artillery fire support C2 system. In the long run fully equipped indirect fires control vehicles may provide the foundation for Joint Fires C2 Command Posts that would suit Plan Beersheba and its amphibious connotations.

ADM understands that such mobile command posts may need greater onboard electrical power for the operation of multiple sensors for ECM, C4ISTAR, RWS and so on. Power may also be an issue with C3 installations in mobile Bde level command posts or BTN nodes equipped with Satcom terminals and microwave, HF and VHF radios. These could provide the proposed Battlefield Trunking Network under JP2072 Phase 2B where the PMV Command variant is scoped as a SATCOM on the Move (SOTM) vehicle.

While Thales is reluctant to discuss potential improvements to Bushmaster in the absence of ADF needs, the company says it is developing SMART power management and distribution systems that can be used with high output alternators and the latest generation of high performance batteries. An interesting potential option currently being investigated is the use of miniature, high power APUs under development that will provide highly efficient electrical power generation for minimal size and weight.

Bushmaster PMV as L400 enabler?

Looking at potential future roles for the Bushmaster PMV the Land 400 CONOPS which provides further Defence thinking on the provisioning of the three Beersheba manoeuvre brigades, and discusses the roles of combat support (CS) and combat service support (CSS) assets within the close combat zone.

Within the direct fire zone, there will be the combatants and enablers required to win the close battle. Both the close combatant and the enabler systems will need to operate within the direct fire zone but their role and task will determine the level of firepower, mobility and protection that they require.

For those forces that are part of the future combat system required to survive and fight consistently in the direct fire zone, the Land Combat Vehicle System will be the close combat platform.

Those enablers that transit the direct fire zone will be mounted in protected mobility platforms provided by Land 121 and legacy fleets. There will be an increased reliance on Land 121, legacy fleet protected mobility and rotary wing assets to transport dismounted systems (e.g. personnel, weapons, sensors) to support LCVS based Schemes of Manoeuvre.

But can Land 121 provide the Land 400 intent? With very heavy spending commitments by Defence over the next decade or so, on JSF, New Submarine, LHDs, Offshore Combatants, Future Frigates and so on, one may surely question the extent to which Land 400’s ambitious aims will be scaled back. Such aspirations include the future Army’s ability to manoeuvre, detect and defeat threats by stand-off attack or by close combat, within complex environments, while ensuring survivability of own forces.

Great if you can afford it, but it seems likely that an inadequately funded Land 400 capability will mean greater reliance on the current Land 121 fleet and legacy vehicles, with M1A1 MBT and M113AS4 APCs bolstered by the yet-to-be acquired armoured infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), at the heart of Land 400’s Land Combat Vehicle System.

Due to the high level of protection the Bushmaster PMV and its family of single and dual cab vehicles offers over Land 121 logistics vehicles, where protection is focussed on the cabin, it may make sense to acquire a number of these combat service support-style vehicles for employment as M777A2 tows, mobile air defence platforms and for the transport/resupply of ammunition, weapons and sensors, close to and within the direct fire zone, especially in urban terrain where mines/IEDs and small arms fire may predominate.