On 6 October 2026, Thales Australia unveiled an extra-large unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), as well as a Bushmaster dual-cab variant optimised for the counter-drone role, at the Land Forces exhibition in Perth, Western Australia.
The heavy-duty UGV, christened the BladeHaul, is designed for contested logistics, and it is large enough to carry a 20-foot container or an alternative payload weighing 10 tonnes.
The BladeHaul is based on the chassis and driveline of Thales Australia’s well-known Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicle. However, its mechanicals have been completely revamped by 3ME Technology, which installed a hybrid engine and battery storage solution.
3ME previously developed a hybrid-engined Bushmaster, but this time it has gone much further and created a 660V power system offering 110kWh of power. This propulsion choice means the BladeHaul could act as a standalone generator or be a power source for a field hospital or command post, for instance. It offers 1MW of power, enough to simultaneously power 1,000 homes!
Serving as an external power source is one envisaged use of the BladeHaul, alongside contested logistics, or a mobile platform for sensors and effectors. Indeed, potential roles mentioned by Thales Australia are launching coastal anti-ship missiles, carrying a counter-drone system, air surveillance radar, reloading munitions or detecting/clearing mines.
The BladeHaul is not yet ready for action, however, as its autonomy package still needs to be developed and integrated. This will be done by Deakin University, with Thales Australia signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Land Forces 2026. The vehicle will be capable of remote, fully autonomous or follow-me operations.
According to Thales Australia, this UGV “is engineered to outperform all existing and planned counterparts in payload capacity and operational flexibility”. Certainly, there is a market gap for such a large UGV with a significant payload capacity. The BladeHaul is aimed at the Australian Army as well as export markets.
Turning to Thales Australia’s other vehicle showcased at Land Forces 2026, this was a dual-cab variant of the Bushmaster fitted with a RapidStriker counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) suite.
Thales has modernised the successful Bushmaster into this 5.6.2 version featuring a four-door cab and a rear cargo deck. It represents the manufacturer’s efforts to keep the Bushmaster relevant to modern warfare, specifically as a sensor and effector platform rather than a mere troop transporter.
The RapidStriker C-UAS suite, debuting at Eurosatory 2026, features an EOS R400 remote weapon station armed with Thales 70mm laser-guided and unguided rockets, a Robin 3D Iris radar and a Thales electro-optical/infrared sensor.
On 7 October 2026, Thales Australia also signed an MoU with German firm Stark to integrate the latter’s new 100km-range Cascade loitering munition. It has a 4.5kg warhead, and it joins other loitering munitions from Stark that have seen combat in Ukraine.
The two partners will develop a multi-cell launcher that can go on the Bushmaster. Initially, this will have six canisters, but the intent is to add more launcher cells.
The complete Bushmaster as exhibited is capable of defending against drones and also despatching its own precision strike munitions. It is clearly intended to meet Australian Army requirements. The dual cab also has a C-rail system that allows seats to be moved and the compartment reconfigured for different missions.
Of interest, Australia’s order of 268 new vehicles announced in April this year might comprise the Bushmaster 5.6.2, but this has not yet been confirmed.
by Gordon Arthur, Perth
