Speculation surrounds Bushmaster PMV prototype equipped with minigun

“The results of an innovative defence industrial ‘sprint’ undertaken by Thales Australia and our defence partners in NSW. A powerful prototype of a new sovereign Australian defence capability to protect Australian soldiers and other allied defence force personnel,” according to the company.

The concept of a M23D minigun remote weapon station used for counter-drone warfare and fire support isn’t new to the company. A similar minigun-equipped Hawkei light armoured vehicle was shown to Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy as part of a Land 156 project/Exercise Southern Arrow capability demonstration at Cultana, South Australia in December last year.

In addition, the Australian Defence Force’s own Australian Army Combat Experimentation Group has previously trialled the use of headset-operated M23D minigun remote weapon stations on a M113 armoured personnel carrier during Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Earlier this year, Thales Australia secured an Australian Government commitment of $750 million to deliver 268 additional next generation Bushmaster PMVs to be built at its Bendigo, Victoria facility. Capability enhancements for the vehicles would reportedly include improved protection and mobility, advanced digital systems, and increased adaptability to meet the evolving needs of defence operations including increased capacity for carrying personnel and increased tow capacity, stronger additional armour, ability to carry more powerful weapons systems including roof mounted effectors.

In America, the US Army has also conducted live-fire testing of M134 miniguns mounted on M1 Abrams main battle tanks at Fort Bliss in Texas.

During the testing, tank crews from the US Army’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1st Armored Division) utilised a roof-mounted and elevation-capable minigun, manually controlled through the commander’s hatch of the tank.

VIEW ALL

“This cutting-edge integration of high-volume rotary firepower with heavy armour amplifies the brigade’s combat versatility, giving Ready First the tactical edge in close-quarters and complex terrain,” according to a statement published by the 1st Armored Division.

In their traditional role, miniguns have been used for their suppressive, overwhelming amount of firepower. They have previously been mounted on several US military vehicles, such as AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopters, US Army Humvees, Light Armored Vehicle – Air Defense (25mm GAU cannon) and the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (20mm M163 rotary cannon).

Defence Connect contacted Thales Australia for comment.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.