Export success for world beating special forces vehicles – made in Devon

One of Britain’s few military vehicle designers and manufacturers, Supacat’s special forces vehicles have a reputation for being among the best in the world.  The company’s recent export success has earned it the UK’s most prestigious business award.  A large order from Australia followed by contracts from Norway and New Zealand for its Special Forces HMT Extenda vehicle grew the company’s overseas earnings from £2.5m to over £32m over the last three years.  The vehicle is one of Supacat’s family of military high mobility and protected vehicles, which include the acclaimed `Jackal` and `Coyote` operated by the UK Armed Forces.

“It’s a huge honour to celebrate this award with all our staff, distinguished guests from local government, our customers, supply chain and professional services providers.  The long cycle involved in developing our products means we’re here because of the hard work started 30 years ago by our founder, Nick Jones, and his team; and the dedication of our current staff will no doubt gain similar recognition in the future”, said Nick Ames.

Privately owned, Supacat, part of SC Group, has been trading for over 30 years in the heart of Devon.  Over the last decade has grown its core defence vehicle business and expanded its engineering services into the nuclear, energy and marine sectors.  With offices in the UK and Australia, Supacat and the wider SC Group employ over 200 people and have exported products and services all over the globe.

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`Supalift` technology increases lifting weight by over 60%

The global defence industry’s most versatile Light Weight Recovery (LWR) vehicle will be unveiled by UK high mobility vehicle specialist, Supacat, at DSEi in London. The 10.5 tonne HMT Light Weight Recovery (HMT LWR) has been developed by Supacat to fill a capability gap to recover vehicles operating in hard to access urban and rural locations as required by the UK MoD’s Light Weight (Air Portable) Recovery Capability (LW(AP)RC) programme.

The 6×6 HMT LWR offers high levels of agility, off-road performance and protection in common with Supacat’s High Mobility Transporter (HMT) family, which includes `Jackal` and `Coyote` now within UK MoD’s Core Fleet. HMT LWR utilises many HMT design features such as the variable height air suspension system, engine and drive line that have been battle proven in numerous theatres. Blast and ballistic protection has been built into the chassis providing the optimum protection for its weight of 10.5 tonnes.

The vehicle is capable of wading through up to 1.5m of salt water, with an additional 0.5m of wave splash. This enables the vehicle to be deployed from landing craft. It can operate at -30 to +50 degrees.

HMT LWR utilises an innovative new Supacat designed technology, `Supalift` (patent pending), which extends the range of vehicles that can be recovered by a light weight recovery vehicle. HMT LWR’s recovery system can be operated both in conventional mode and by the operator engaging `Supalift`, which increases the maximum lifting weight of the recovery system by over 60%. In conventional mode the HMT LWR recovery system lifts a maximum recovered vehicle axle mass of 3.8 tonnes and in `Supalift` mode rises to 6.1 tonnes (specification based on recovering an HMT 400 `Jackal 2`). `Supalift` technology is based on the principle of distributing the weight of the casualty vehicle more evenly over the recovery vehicle.

Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat, said, “HMT LWR provides customers with a highly versatile and cost effective light weight recovery capability, with the flexibility to recover a wide range of vehicles. We are very proud of our engineering team in developing `Supalift`, which finally makes a light weight recovery vehicle a reality and is a game-changer in extending the lifting capability of recovery systems for defence and other industry sectors”.

HMT LWR is fitted with a specially designed Boniface and Miller Century 2465 hamper and a Rotzler TR80 main winch. These will be fitted as standard but as with all HMT platforms the modular hamper design can be reconfigured to suit any role.

At last year’s DVD show Supacat revealed the concept demonstrator for the LW(AP)RC programme as one of several new variants of the HMT platform. This has since been developed as HMT LWR to full prototype, which will be displayed on Supacat’s DSEi stand N9-360.

“HMT LWR also demonstrates the flexibility of the HMT platform in being configurable to different roles to meet the needs of current and future programmes”, said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat.

Supacat is unveiling the high performance SC12 Rib (Rigid Inflatable Boat) at DSEi where its capabilities will be demonstrated on the River Thames throughout the show. An established prime contractor to the UK MoD, Supacat has teamed with Norwegian boat builder, Goldfish Boat, to offer into the UK market the 12m SC12 and a 9m variant, SC9, which are developments of craft already proven and in-service with NATO Forces.

Supacat will provide the UK based engineering support, project management and through life support functions for SC12 and SC9, marking a further expansion by Supacat into the maritime defence sector. Supacat is able to draw on the marine capabilities of its parent SC Group’s sister businesses, marine engineer Proteum and specialist engineer SC Innovation responsible for the SMV24 multi-role support vessel.

Goldfish has a 24 year history in designing high performance RIBs renowned for high speed, agility and durability to meet the demanding military applications and are backed with an international racing pedigree. The innovative hull design and power integration of SC12 and SC9 create a responsive, manoeuvrable and powerful platform for the user and achieve speeds in excess of 50 knots.

The fully integrated C4ISR system enables rapid decision making and response times providing the user with tactical options through configurable, easily accessible and shareable C4ISR feeds. Human machine interface (HMI) and power delivery enable intuitive and precise boat handling in the most demanding operational conditions.

In-service with NATO Forces Goldfish Boat’s RIBs have proven aerial dispatch and air delivery capabilities, capable of being deployed by CH47, A400M and C17 aircraft, enabling a flexible response and ease of recovery. The platform is adaptable and can be re-configured for mission specific requirements. Deck space can also be reconfigured with the position of equipment and personnel optimised for each mission. SC12 meets the most demanding payload requirements and the design has provision for future growth.

Ben Gaffney, Supacat’s Deputy Head of New Programmes, said, “The SC12 and SC9 represent a step change in maritime capability. The platforms are supremely responsive, deployable and reconfigurable with intuitive, bespoke HMI. The C4ISR system provides the end user with superior situational awareness and the sophisticated craft design will ensure the end user is delivered to target without the high levels of fatigue induced by some inferior designs and in a much better condition to conduct operations”.

Supacat is unveiling LRV600, the 6×6 configuration of its high performance off-road Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV), at DSEi offering users the ability to increase their capability and payload, whilst remaining air portable from inside a CH-47 Chinook.

Developed for rapid intervention operations in harsh environments, the LRV platform has the distinctive design feature of being convertible between 6×6 and 4×4, offering users the flexibility to reconfigure the vehicle to meet different operational requirements within hours by the addition of a 3^rd axle module.

LRV600 has a maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 5500kg and offers a maximum payload of 2350kg, over 50% more than the LRV400 Mk2 configuration. LRV400 Mk2’s maximum GVW is 4200kg and maximum payload 1500kg. LRV600 is 1m longer at 5.65m but can be shortened to less than 5.5m if required. Both LRV600 and LRV400 Mk2 carry a crew of 3 or 4 and achieve speeds of up to 100mph/160km.

“The Supacat LRV600 demonstrates the unique flexibility of the LRV platform enabling users to convert between 4×4 and 6×6 depending on their mission. LRV600’s increased capability and air portability also sets it apart as a tactical capability for special operations”, said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat, part of the SC Group.

LRV 600 will have a new weapon system fitted at DSEi which is a first for land based, special forces vehicles of this type. Working together with the US company, Arnold Defense,

and a team of industry experts, Supacat has integrated the ‘FLETCHER’ 2.75-inch laser guided rocket system in a demonstration of the newly launched FLETCHER concept. The system provides the user with firepower that would otherwise involve calling in air or aviation assets.

In developing LRV Supacat has taken the rolling chassis and automotive systems from the Land Rover Discovery and adapted them for specialist military applications to offer unrivalled performance for a vehicle of its size and weight class.   Using a mass-produced automotive platform delivers reliability, safety and cost efficiencies. In addition, the vehicle is ITAR free and can be supported via the existing globally available spares network enhanced by Supacat’s established military vehicle through life support service. LRV has been developed with a common user interface to its Supacat HMT `Jackal` to maximise inter-operability and minimise training.

LRV has front and rear independent double wishbone air suspension offering variable ride height including bump stops providing a highly stable firing platform.   Powered by a V6 3.0 turbo diesel providing 256 bhp and 600Nm Torque giving a high power to weight ratio, it has an 8 speed automatic transmission and high and low permanent 4WD with centre diff lock.

Over the last three years its overseas earnings have grown from £2.5m to over £32m buoyed by a large Australian order for its Special Forces HMT Extenda vehicle, which has become the vehicle of choice for the world’s elite Special Forces.   Supacat has recently won Norwegian and New Zealand contracts for the vehicle and the company is actively pursuing emerging opportunities with new export customers for its family of military high mobility and protected vehicles, which includes the acclaimed `Jackal` and `Coyote` operated by the UK Armed Forces.

“This is wonderful news for our business and we are very proud to be a winner of this very prestigious award. All the stakeholders of the business are delighted and are enthused to continue to pursue first class export opportunities especially recognising the national need for exports during these changing times. We are particularly proud of this award given the challenging circumstances UK Defence businesses face in selling their products to international customers and into one of the most openly competitive home markets.  Financing exports is one of the challenges and we are grateful for the support we received from UKEF and RBS,” said Nick Ames, Chief Executive Officer.

Established in 1980 and headquartered in Devon, Supacat’s growth has been driven by the UK defence sector, which continues to be a core business.  It is part of SC Group which has diversified into providing engineering solutions to the oil and gas, nuclear, marine and renewable sectors though investment into developing specialist vehicles and services and actively engaging in new international markets including the USA, Middle East and China.

Under the teaming agreement and upon contract award, the Supacat-designed vehicles will be built by RMMV NL and the production line will be supported by their existing supply chain in the Netherlands. The proposed solution includes substantial local industrial content for a fleet of more than 500x 12kN AASLT and 900x 12kN light-weight protected vehicles.

“The teaming agreement is based on a strong collaborative platform and the allocation of responsibilities will be based on ‘Best for Customer’ criteria,” said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat. “Both companies have demonstrated their agility in forming a solution that delivers an outstanding in-country product, which supports Dutch jobs for a Dutch requirement.”

“Cooperation between Supacat and RMMV meets the requirements of this programme for the Dutch Army,” stated Coen van Leeuwen, Managing Director of RMMV NL, adding that, “a proven concept built in the Netherlands and supported by people who know how the Dutch Army operates is bound to succeed.”

Supacat, a high-mobility vehicle specialist, stands on an established and successful track record of developing high-quality vehicles for the global defence market. RMMV NL is currently in the process of producing Boxer 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles for the Dutch Army at the local facility in Ede.

Building on a strong relationship, Supacat and Rheinmetall continue to work together on a number of programmes, including the UK’s Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme and Australia’s Land 400 Phase 2 programme.

HMT 400 Desert has been adapted to enhance performance in the desert’s harsh environment and climatic conditions. It has no armour and the lighter gross vehicle mass improves the power-to-weight ratio and increases mobility over deep desert sand.  Further desert features include cooling, a central tyre inflation system and lightweight bead locks to enable the vehicle to be operated at the lowest tyre pressures.

The vehicle has been configured to fully comply with the UAE Presidential Guard’s requirements for a new special operations vehicle, including tactical CH-47 internal loading, and has undergone successful tactical trials and testing by UAE forces over the summer. The HMT series, widely known as `Jackal`, has been battle proven in service with numerous elite special forces worldwide.

“Supacat is committed to supporting the region and in the event that HMT 400 Desert is selected by the UAE Presidential Guard a large element of the production and subsequent support programmes will be conducted in UAE”, said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat.

The flexibility of the HMT series has been recently demonstrated by Supacat in developing additional variants and conversions to meet wider and emerging requirements. These include HMT in the Recovery, Logistic Support and Gun Towing roles as well as a unique 4×4 to 6×6 convertible feature, which were announced in September at DVD in the UK.