Australia and Oceania countries

Australia to purchase $800 million worth of military equipment

27 April 2026 09:43 (UTC +04:00)

Australia will spend over $800 million on the supply of armored vehicles and the modernization of armored trucks, while the country's government is increasing military spending at a record pace for peacetime, Bloomberg reports.

"Canberra has ordered almost 300 Bushmaster armored vehicles and armored truck upgrades worth 1.2 billion Australian dollars ($860 million). The equipment will be produced by a local division of the French company Thales SA," the country's defense ministry said.

As Bloomberg notes, the Australian Labor government is reviewing its military strategy and expanding the capabilities of the country's armed forces amid increased competition between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Financial Times newspaper reported on December 15 that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is ready to tighten legislation on firearms trafficking after terrorists killed 15 people at the Hanukkah Jewish festival in Sydney. Australia had previously tightened gun laws in 1996, after 35 people were killed by a lone gunman in Port Arthur, Tasmania.