The 1,000th Thales Busmaster 4x4 armoured personne carrier was delivered to Australian army 1406132.

The milestone will be marked at an event at Thales’s Bendigo facility in Victoria, where the 1,000th Bushmaster will be officially handed over to the Department of Defence.

Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s CEO, said: "This is a very important day because the Bushmaster has become such a recognised life-saving vehicle thanks to its performance on overseas operations with the ADF and other customers.

To have produced 1,000 vehicles is a testament not only to the Bushmaster’s innovative design and technology, but also to the high quality of its manufacturing. This is due to the skills and expertise of the workforce we have in Bendigo, where 200 people are dedicated to ensuring the continued success and evolution of the Bushmaster platform.

"Australian industry has played a vital role in this achievement. There are around 120 companies in the Bushmaster supply chain, many of them local SMEs whose hard work, innovation and commitment to delivery have helped make the Bushmaster what it is today."

"Working together, Defence, Thales Australia and our industry partners have created a vital strategic capability, fully proven and ready to produce the next generation light protected vehicle, Hawkei, for the ADF and export markets."

During the event Thales Australia will also formally launch its partnership with Soldier On and sponsorship of the 2013 Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge. Walking With The Wounded raises funds to train the wounded, injured and sick, assisting them to find a career outside the military. The Challenge involves three teams of wounded servicemen and women from the UK, US and the Commonwealth (Australia and Canada) racing to the Geographic South Pole in November and December. http://soldieron.org.au