UK defence vehicle developer, Supacat and Canadian DEW Engineering and Development (DEW), announced the companies will team up to pursue the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command’s Next Generation Fighting Vehicles (NGFV) program. The program requires that the 55 to 75 vehicles it intends to buy be optimized for survivability, lethality, mobility, and durability, as well as sustainability, transportability, interoperability, electrical architecture and reliability. The vehicle’s primary role, according to the program, is in support of counter terrorism, high value task operations and conventional warfare. Over 1000 Supacat vehicles have been procured by the world’s premier Special Forces including the UK, USA, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Norway.
The team is submitting the Supacat High Mobility Transporter (HMT) Extenda Mk2, which is designed to transport personnel and equipment into operational zones. Supacat undertook a rigorous program of trials to verify the performance of the HMT Extenda. It successfully completed two 12,500 km tours of Australia in 2 weeks in order to verify reliability and performance over long distances. The HMT Extenda Mk2 is certified to be driven on all roads but can also be converted between 4×4 and 6×6 drive, by adding or removing a 3rd axle module, so it can operate in a variety of combat environments. The HMT can also be fitted with NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture to enable the integration of a wide variety of mission systems, including Remote Weapon System, Intelligence Reconnaissance and Surveillance systems, and C4 systems.
The HMT Extenda Mk2 4×4 vehicle measures 5.8 m long, 2.05 m wide and 2.44 m high, while the 6×6 variant has a length of 7.05 m. The gross vehicle weight of 4×4 and 6×6 variants are 9,000 kg and 12,000 kg respectively. The 4×4 vehicle can carry a payload of 1,800 kg, whereas the payload capacity of the 6×6 version is 3,800 kg. The vehicles offer seating for a driver and four passengers. The HMT Extenda Mk2 can be armed with a range of weapon systems including 12.7 mm and/or 7.62 mm machine guns and 40 mm automatic grenade launchers. In option, the vehicle can be fitted with ballistic and mine blast protection kits, as well as mine blast protected seats to increase protection for the crew against mine blast. The HMT Extenda Mk2 is powered by a Cummins 6.7L, six-cylinder diesel engine coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. The engine develops a maximum power output of 180hp and torque of 700Nm. It can run at a maximum road speed of 120 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km.
DEW is a world leading manufacturer of advanced lightweight composite armour systems for armoured, logistics and police vehicles. Over 24,000 vehicles have been equipped with DEW armour which has saved the lives of countless Canadian, US and allied soldiers and police officers. As a Canadian company, all DEW products are completely ITAR free. For over 40 years, DEW has successfully delivered land, air and naval equipment. Supacat is the world’s leading specialist in the design and development of high mobility defence vehicles with over 1000 specialist, battle-proven vehicles delivered into service globally. Supacat has a range of off-road wheeled and tracked vehicles that continues to expand as new requirements for high-mobility cross-country defence vehicles arise.
