Supacat selected for ADF special ops vehicle

Supacat has announced that the Australian Defence Material Organisation (DMO) has selected the latest version of its Special Forces HMT Extenda vehicle as the preferred bid for the Special Operations Vehicle element of the Project Definition and Evaluation phase (PD&E) of JP2097 Ph 1B (REDFIN) programme.

According to Supacat, when approved, JP2097 Ph 1B (REDFIN) will provide the Australian Defence Force with a new family of special operations vehicles. On completion of the PD&E phase the DMO is expected to acquire a fleet of vehicles under a separate contract.

The new vehicle retains a high level of commonality with the Australian Army’s existing Nary HMT fleet, delivered by Supacat in 2009; as well as providing improved capabilities, particularly in the areas of crew protection and vehicle versatility. Supacat’s HMT combines high levels of performance in the areas of mobility, protection, payload and firepower into an intuitive vehicle to operate and maintain. It has demonstrated its reliability, flexibility and capability on extended operations around the world.

Supacat will deliver the programme through the Supacat Team Australia programme office based in Melbourne. Supacat Team Australia is made up of 14 Australian industry partners who will provide the capabilities to deliver the production vehicles and the ongoing through life support of the fleet.

Designed for use by Special Forces, the HMT Extenda is unique in being convertible to either a 4x4 or 6x6 configuration to meet different operational requirements by inserting or removing a self-contained third axle unit. Like other HMT series platforms, the HMT Extenda can be supplied with optional mine blast and ballistic protection kits and with a variety of mission hampers, weapons, communications, ISTAR and force protection equipment to suit a wide range of operational roles. Supacat’s REDFIN 1B solution offers capability improvements in the key areas of firepower, protection, capacity, operability and safety, based upon direct feedback from the worldwide operational use of existing HMT fleets.