L3Harris Australia was highlighting its communications credentials at the Land Forces 2026 exhibition in Perth, Western Australia, particularly its ability to upgrade comms suites inside the Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicle.
On 5 October 2026, a day before the show opened, L3Harris announced it had won a contract under Project Land 4111, which encompasses an integrated command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) solution for the Bushmaster.
The company stated: “As part of this programme, L3Harris will provide an end-to-end C4I solution for candidate in-service command and troop variants of the Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle from system design and integration to installation and delivery, ensuring Land 4111 enhances the operational connectivity, interoperability and mission effectiveness of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).”
This contract had actually been awarded on 10 June 2026, and the three-year deal covers just over 80 vehicles with prototyping to occur first. This development work is occurring at L3Harris Australia’s Indo-Pacific Regional Support Centre in Brisbane.
This represents Tranche 2 of Land 4111, with L3Harris supporting Thales Australia with integration of the earlier tranche that upgraded a ready battle group’s worth of Bushmasters. However, there has been no announcement on the exact C4I suite being integrated under Land 4111 Tranche 2.
Andrew Rushbrook, Managing Director of L3Harris Communications Australia, stated, “We are honoured to work alongside the Commonwealth to deliver this critical communications modernisation capability. By providing a complete design-through-installation C4I solution, we’re delivering advanced, integrated communications systems that support Australian warfighters’ operational success in today’s increasingly complex environments.”
With the ADF operating more than 1,000 Bushmasters, there is plenty of scope for further tranches as well under Project 4111.
The wider Land 4111 programme, according to the Australian Army includes these considerations for the Bushmaster: remote weapon stations; communication interoperability; generic vehicle architecture; transparent armour; communication suites; continuous modernisation and configuration management; swing and ring mounts; auxiliary power units; automated load handling systems; enhanced hull protection; and a rocket-propelled grenade protection option.
Whilst at Land Forces 2026, L3Harris was also exhibiting its next-generation connected vehicle system for vehicles like the Bushmaster. A representative described it as intuitive and with a plug-and-play capability.
Released earlier this year, the connected vehicle system integrates the MC-3000I mobile command intercom system, RF-411 power amplifier, RF-410D next-generation power amplifier and radios such as the AN/PRC-160 and AN/PRC-158C.
This is being proffered as potential solution for Australian Bushmasters, plus L3Harris is promoting it to other Bushmaster users around the world.
The MC-3000I suite’s decentralized architecture means it can be adapted to other vehicle types. For example, Australia has a refresh programme coming up for the Hawkei fleet in mid-2027, as well as medium and heavy landing craft being built for the Australian Army.
L3Harris radios are also installed in Australian Boxer 8×8 and Redback tracked vehicles. Across the Tasman Sea, L3Harris is supporting New Zealand, which is currently developing a C4I suite for its own Bushmaster suite. The company is also assisting the integration of radios into the future fleet of Kiwi VAMTAC light tactical vehicles.
by Gordon Arthur, Perth
