A Supacat-Babcock alliance will deliver a minimum of 70 additional high mobility military transporters (HMT) 400 series to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), with the number of vehicle deliveries potentially rising to 240.
Alongside the Challenger 2 tanks that the UK MoD has donated to Ukraine, the MoD also sent various armoured vehicles supporting Ukraine. The new investment for the British Army is to help the MoD replace the lost fleet of armoured vehicles donated with a supply of 70 HMT 400 series vehicles.
The agreement follows the announcement that the British Army also received an interim artillery solution within the next 12 months in an apparent attempt to bridge a looming capability gap.
Supacat chief executive Nick Ames said: “This is an enormously important contract win for us. Primarily it further evidences our customer’s confidence in our HMT 400 product after 20 years of service.
“Furthermore, it gives us a platform to secure potential export orders and thereby shows how investment in UK products can provide benefit to the wider UK economy.”
The ‘Jackal’ builds on Supacat’s original All Terrain Mobility Platform (ATMP) concept. Using the convertible concept of the ‘Extenda’ configurations, the 4×4 can be transformed into a 6×6, increasing its payload and capacity.
This contract further builds on Supacat’s well-established relationship with Babcock, which was to meet the demand for Afghanistan when over 600 vehicles were assembled through their Devonport facility within three years. Under the contract, Supacat will create ten jobs within itself and 90 at Babcock’s facilities.
The undisclosed contract will bring the total number of Jackal vehicles delivered to the UK Armed Forces to almost 700.
Babcock’s chief executive Tom Newman said: “As a world-class engineering partner, we are delighted to be taking a key role in the production of this new phase of the Jackal platform, a truly British-designed and manufactured vehicle.
“This new contract shows how British industry can work collaboratively to rapidly respond to defence requirements and deliver in short timescales. The HMT 400 series is also not only a battle-proven vehicle but a fantastic export asset in its own right, and our chosen build location in the freeport zone of Plymouth will enhance its export prospects.”
Supacat has also delivered the HMT platform vehicles internationally, throughout Northern Europe and Australasia, where it is currently in service.
