BUSHTEC Solutions – the South African company renowned for its design, manufacture and delivery of integrated deployable camp and infrastructure systems for clients across Africa and the Middle East – is presenting a big lineup of its latest products and systems at AAD 2026.
These solutions are all designed and built around the company’s F.H.A.K.D.A.S. framework, which stands for Fitness, Health, Accommodation, Kitchen & Dining, Ablutions & Services. BUSHTEC leverages the inherent flexibility of its F.H.A.K.D.A.S. framework to plan and deliver turnkey systems that address the full lifecycle requirements of deployed personnel and operational bases.
This means that for defence, humanitarian, disaster relief, mining and government clients, requirements such as accommodation, catering, sanitation, utilities and logistics can be delivered as one coordinated solution for operational needs, rather than a set of separate, individual products.
At AAD 2026, BUSHTEC Solutions is highlighting its latest product launches across fitness and command applications, as well as water, shelter, power and hygiene infrastructure. Highlights include the BUSHFIT Mk II Mobile Fitness System, which is a solar-powered, rapidly deployable fitness platform for up to 20 users, alongside the African SERCON, which is a soft-wall, expandable and redeployable container built for command, communications, accommodation and medical use.
In addition, BUSHTEC’s Solar Water Purification Plant System demonstrates potable water production from platoon to brigade scale, while the Workshop Shelter System and Workshop Container System showcase an all-weather maintenance bay paired with a fully fitted ISO-container workshop.
The Hercules Shelter System, a large-span shelter exceeding 10 metres in width, is also on display next to the UAV Shelter System – a purpose-built protection and support infrastructure for unmanned aerial systems.
BUSHTEC’s Electrical Power Generation & Distribution Systems showcases solar, wind and hybrid power solutions, and the Uprated T-Series Shelter Range (including the T40) feature new solar shading, thermal liners and electrical integration.
Rounding out the lineup is BUSHTEC’s Converted Containerised Facilities, illustrating the company’s growing container-conversion capability, as well as the New Generation Tented Ablution Facility, designed to support up to 60 personnel, and the Containerised Ablution Facility, a compact ISO-container hygiene unit.
Commenting on the F.H.A.K.D.A.S. framework and associated products, Martin Bester, BUSHTEC’s Director of Business Development, stated that the inherent flexibility and agility of the solutions are what make them effective across different sectors. “The flexibility of this approach extends beyond the requirements of the South African National Defence Force. It is equally applicable to defence forces, security agencies, humanitarian organisations, disaster management authorities, mining operations and government institutions throughout Africa and the Middle East,” Bester explained.
Bester added, “through scalable and integrated solutions, BUSHTEC is positioned to support clients operating in both austere and developing environments, where adaptability, sustainability and operational effectiveness are critical success factors.”
BUSHTEC’s presence at AAD 2026 aligns with the priorities outlined at the recent South African Defence Industry Lekgotla in July. This event, which hosted around 300 delegates from government, the defence industry, labour and academia, highlighted the importance of innovation, localisation and sustainability within the broader South African defence industry, as well as the need for integrated capability development and improved support for operational readiness.
Bester explained that BUSHTEC’s direction reflects these priorities directly. “The outcomes of the SA Defence Industry Lekgotla have reaffirmed our strategic direction. The development initiatives currently underway within BUSHTEC demonstrate that we are on the right track in terms of creating practical solutions that address both current and emerging operational requirements.”
From Canvas and Tent Group to BUSHTEC: A 58-year history
BUSHTEC Solutions’ participation at AAD 2026 marks another highlight in its 58-year history; it also follows the Canvas and Tent Group’s announcement of a brand evolution in May 2026, which brought its group companies and specialised brands together under the single BUSHTEC master brand.
Since its establishment in 1968, the Canvas and Tent Group has supplied field accommodation to customers in more than 80 countries around the world and has built a portfolio of more than 30 customers across Africa, including customers in Angola, Somalia, Guinea and South Africa. It continues to expand its customer base, with recent orders also coming from militaries of Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states for regional deployments.
The company describes itself as a proudly South African success story and today continues its manufacturing operations in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, with a workforce of more than 500 employees.
