The U.K.’s Supacat Aug. 19 said Australia’s Defense Material Organization (DMO) awarded it a $97.7 million contract to deliver 89 Special Operations Vehicles-Commando (SOV-Cdo) for the Australian Defense Forces under the JP2097 Ph 1B (REDFIN) program.
The new SOV-Cdo are based on the latest MK2 version of Supacat’s HMT Extenda and designed to meet Australian Special Force’s specific requirements.
The contract follows the successful completion of the Prototype Development and Evaluation phase in which Supacat built and delivered the prototype SOV-Cdo.
Nicholas Ames, managing director of Supacat Group, said, “This is the first of the MK2 HMT Extenda’s to go into production and represents a significant increase in capability in terms of protection, transportability and firepower, while retaining the mobility and versatility for which the vehicle has become well known.”
Designed for and used by the world’s e special forces, the HMT Extenda is unique in being convertible to either a 4×4 or 6×6 configuration to meet different operational requirements. Its open architecture provides for various levels of protection and great variety in the roles and missions for which it can be configured. The SOV-Cdo will be delivered in four reconfigurable roles, emphasizing the flexibility of the HMT platform.
Supacat has partnered with Australian companies within Supacat Team Australia to manufacture components and assemble the vehicles at a facility in Western Sydney. In January 2012 Supacat opened offices in Australia to manage its activities in the Asia Pacific region. Those offices will be responsible for delivering the SOV-Cdo program.
Michael Halloran, managing director, Australia, said, “The award of this contract is another important stepping stone in the development of our presence in the Asia Pacific market and is due recognition of the performance of Supacat and our partners in the Australian market to date.”