The contract awarded to Supacat will secure 70 High Mobility
Truck Variant (HMTV) Mk 2 Extenda platforms.
On completion of validation trials this procurement will result
in an uplift of 69 vehicles to the HMTV fleet. These platforms
offer increased flexibility to Defence and due to their modular
design can be used either as a Jackal (L400) or Coyote (L600)
vehicle.
The uplift will be used by the British Army to enhance our fleet
numbers, and enable greater support to operations and readiness.
They will be manufactured at Supacat’s Devon based factory with
support from fellow defence company Babcock at their site in
Plymouth. The contract is likely to secure 10 jobs at Supacat and
a further 90 jobs at Babcock.
The vehicle was brought into service under urgent operational
requirements (UOR) to provide British forces in Afghanistan
with an off-road patrol and fire-support vehicle with increased
performance. It has been since integrated into the British Army’s
fleet of versatile, battle-winning capabilities.
Some of the benefits of the platform include:
- Optional mine blast and ballistic protection kit.
- The option for a variety of mission specific load beds
including weapons, communications and ISTAR equipment.
- Force protection equipment to suit a wide range of
operational roles.
Brigadier Matt Wilkinson, Head of the Vehicle Support which is
part of DE&S’ Land Equipment Operating Centre, said:
These battle-winning and versatile platforms offer huge benefits
our troops on the battlefield. The HMTV is a British built
capability that continues to support UK jobs and ensures that the
UK retains the crucial engineering and manufacturing skills
required in the defence sector, which are key priorities under
the British Army’s Land Industrial Strategy. I am delighted
that we have secured this contract with Supacat and its defence
partner Babcock.
The contract is expected to deliver the initial 70 vehicles to
the British Army by the end of FY 23/24 with an option to
manufacture up to a total of 240 of the light armoured vehicles,
should operational requirements demand.
