DEW Engineering and Development (DEW) of Ottawa, Canada and Supacat of Devon, United Kingdom, have formed a team to pursue the Next Generation Fighting Vehicles (NGFV) program for the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The NGFV program intends to procure 55 to 75 vehicles for expeditionary operations with high level mandatory requirements that include survivability, lethality, mobility, electrical architecture, durability and sustainability, transportability, interoperability and reliability.
The DEW Supacat team will offer the Supacat High Mobility Transporter (HMT) Extenda Mk2 whose key missions are Direct Action in support of Counter Terrorism, High Value Task operations and conventional warfare. The HMT is designed to transport personnel and equipment into operational zones, including directly onto objectives. It is a world class expeditionary vehicle with exceptional off road performance. Over 1000 Supacat vehicles have been procured by the world’s premier Special Forces including the UK, USA, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Norway.
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 is robust and well-protected, enabling long range and enhanced mission duration, highlighting the payload and self-sustainability of the patrol. It provides the crew with various options for engaging adversaries without dismounting from the protection of the vehicle, and its modularity enables users to configure the vehicle to meet mission specific requirements and environments. The HMT can 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. It is also a superb joint fires effects vehicle.
The HMT is air portable and has been certified by a number of user nations with different aircraft. Unlike many other military vehicles, the HMT can meet the homologation standards, allowing it to be driven on all roads without restriction which reduces logistics burden and cost. Because of its modularity, the users can select between open or closed cabs, different levels of protection, seating layouts and payload configurations, not to mention weapon systems.
According to DEW President, Ian Marsh, "We looked for a partner for the NGFV program that had a history of designing, building and delivering superior Special Forces vehicles. In Supacat, we found the right firm."
Director and Head of Supacat, Phil Applegarth says, "The HMT is often quoted as the Special Forces vehicle of choice and is in service with four of the Five Eyes nations. With NGFV we are keen to close the Five Eyes interoperability loop."
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. In addition to armour, DEW products and services include but are not limited to: armoured vehicle upgrades, life extensions and technology insertions; truck completions, trailers and specialty ground mobility systems; hard and soft wall shelters and containerized mission systems; and custom special 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. Supacat delivers all the disciplines of vehicle design, including engineering, testing, prototype manufacture, certification, low-rate production and fleet support. The HMT is ITAR free, and can be supported by the Supacat global supply network which includes DEW Engineering.