BUSHMASTER: Ukrainian soldiers spill hard truth about Australian MRAP

By Weapons of Victory

Ukrainian soldiers are putting the Australian Bushmaster to the test on the front line, where it’s become one of their most trusted vehicles. It’s used to move troops, evacuate casualties, and withstand direct hits from RPGs and mines. In the video, a soldier explains how the vehicle performs under fire and how EOS' R400 remote weapon system is helping keep crews safe in combat.

Remote Weapon System Capabilities
"A combat module is installed on top of the Bushmaster, which can be equipped with either a heavy machine gun or a grenade launcher. This is a remote weapon station, allowing the crew to operate and monitor the machine gun loads remotely using a joystick. The target is visible directly in the site, and the weapon can be fired day or night, moving up, down, left, and right just like in a video game. You can fire from the module remotely or manually with a finger on the trigger."

Advanced Night Vision and Thermal Imaging
"The real game-changer is the ability to spot the enemy at night and fire pre-emptively. The module includes both day and night cameras and can rotate 360 degrees. If a mission extends into nightfall, the crew can simply activate the cameras to see every heat signature. The thermal cameras also assist the driver in navigating challenging terrain like shell craters or fallen trees while transporting or evacuating troops. Thermal settings can be switched to "cold" or "warm" mode, allowing for differentiation between low-lying areas (black) and people (white), or vice versa, making it a super handy tool for identifying threats. The constant presence of drones buzzing overhead means Ukrainian soldiers must move as fast as possible in their armored vehicles; lingering too long can quickly turn that buzzing into an explosion."

The Bushmaster's combat effectiveness and crew protection were extensively proven in Afghanistan, particularly its resilience against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). While the video focuses on the vehicle's survivability and how it changed perceptions among Australian troops, footage from that period also highlights the use of EOS' R400 remote weapon systems on these vehicles.

Donated by Australia, these Bushmaster vehicles proved instrumental in Ukraine's successful counteroffensive in the Karkov region in September 2022. Ukrainian soldiers expressed deep gratitude, crediting the Bushmasters as a "great asset" in liberating towns.