Australia’s new procurement package: HIMARS, PrSM and Bushmasters
Australia announced a multi-part military acquisition that pairs long-range strike systems with protected mobility vehicles. The package includes additional Lockheed Martin High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to equip a second long-range fires regiment, and the introduction of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) as part of a stated acquisition valued at $2.3 billion AUD ($1.65 billion). Separately, Canberra will purchase 268 new Thales Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles under a $750 million AUD contract.
HIMARS expansion and the second long-range fires regiment
The government release says the new HIMARS will be used specifically to equip a second long-range fires regiment of the Australian Army. The announcement characterizes that regiment as capable of engaging targets at ranges out to 500 kilometres (311 miles) now, and to more than 1,000 kilometres with future increments of PrSM. The move is described as increasing the Australian Defence Force’s capacity “to respond effectively to contingencies in our region and work with our allies and partners.”
The statement also notes the acquisition will add to 42 HIMARS Australia has previously ordered and which are in the process of being delivered. The release itself did not specify a quantity for the new HIMARS or for PrSM missiles; however, a separate FMS approval notification issued by the State Department in September last year said Australia was seeking to buy 48 HIMARS launchers.
PrSM and local production ambitions
The $2.3 billion AUD package includes the introduction of the Precision Strike Missile for Australia’s forces. The government said Australia is in the process of establishing local production facilities for PrSM, building on an existing domestic manufacturing effort: Canberra has already begun producing the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) munitions for its HIMARS fleet. That local-production element was highlighted alongside the broader procurement announcement.
Thales Bushmaster contract and fleet transitions
Thales Australia, the local subsidiary of the French defence firm that manufactures the Bushmaster in Bendigo, will supply 268 new protected mobility vehicles under the $750 million AUD contract. Thales said the investment will enable development of the next-generation Bushmaster variant, which the company described as featuring increased personnel and towing capacity, integration of a wide range of sensors and weapons, and a fully modular crew cabin.
The acquisition will accompany transfers of existing inventory: Australia will sell an unspecified number of its current Bushmaster fleet to the Netherlands, an existing operator of the vehicle. Canberra has also donated 120 Bushmasters to Ukraine, where the vehicles “have been used in its fight against the ongoing Russian invasion,” the release stated.
What this means for the ADF, Thales Australia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine
- The Australian Defence Force (ADF): The ADF will stand up a second long-range fires regiment equipped with additional HIMARS and PrSM capability, extending stated strike ranges and increasing the force’s declared ability “to respond effectively to contingencies in our region and work with our allies and partners.”
- Thales Australia: The contract for 268 Bushmasters funds development of a next-generation vehicle with enhanced carrying and towing capacity, modular crew accommodations, and the capacity to integrate more sensors and weapons—an industrial and design mandate tied to domestic manufacturing at Bendigo.
- The Netherlands: As an existing Bushmaster user, the Netherlands will receive an unspecified number of Australia’s current Bushmasters as Canberra refreshes its fleet with the new vehicles.
- Ukraine: Canberra’s earlier donation of 120 Bushmasters is noted in the release as having been used in Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the Russian invasion.
The announcement ties capability upgrades—longer-range strike, domestic missile production, and a refreshed protected mobility fleet—to firm dollar commitments: $2.3 billion AUD for the HIMARS/PrSM element and $750 million AUD for the 268 Bushmasters. Yet the release leaves several specifics unstated: it does not enumerate how many HIMARS or PrSM rounds will be acquired in this tranche, nor how many of the existing Bushmasters will be sold to the Netherlands. The State Department’s prior FMS notification that Australia was seeking 48 HIMARS launchers offers one data point; the government’s release confirms expansion beyond the 42 launchers already ordered and being delivered.
Those unresolved counts matter because they determine how quickly the second long-range fires regiment can be fielded, how much sovereign production of PrSM will be required, and how many Bushmaster vehicles will remain in Australian service as older hulls are transferred abroad. The government has committed funds and industrial effort; the next public steps to watch will be formal contract quantities and timelines for delivery and local manufacturing.
