Supacat Unveils Tactical Light Mobility Vehicle

British defence manufacturer Supacat unveils tactical Light Mobility Vehicle alongside the armoured closed cab HMT variant at DVD 2024.

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Press Release, Dunkeswell, 18 September 2024: Devon-based defence engineering company Supacat launch two defence vehicles at DVD2024, taking place at UTAC Millbrook in Bedford.

The first of these is a multi-role tactical light mobility vehicle (LMV) for light role and Very High Readiness forces. The second vehicle is a new addition to the High Mobility Transporter (HMT) family, with a 4-person armoured closed cab platform, giving it the flexibility to fulfil a wide range of roles in contested environments in an age when armed forces globally look to reduce numbers of diverse vehicle types by adoption of family fleets and benefit from reduced though life support costs. Both new generation vehicle systems come in the wake of Supacat’s (part of the SC Group) order last year by the UK MoD of seventy of their high mobility transports (400 series).

The Supacat Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) combines highly proven ubiquitous Toyota automotive components with a bespoke chassis and battle-tested ‘combat cell’ to deliver a world class high mobility platform with unrivalled versatility and resilience for the battlefield. Over 40 different operational roles have been identified for the four- or six-wheel mobility platform, making it ideal for the widest range of light roles on the battlefield, developed especially for use by Very High Readiness troops around the world.

As the British Army places ever greater importance on the mobility and potency of its resources and assets, the LMV has been developed to meet key requirements for strategic mobility, class-leading payload and suitability for internal loading in CH47, C130, A400M and C17. The LMV is manufactured in both 4×4 and 6×6 configurations to suit different roles whilst maintaining extremely high levels of commonality across the family of vehicles – offering a payload of up to 3200 kg, this allows for specialist variants such as Ambulance and Mortar which require significantly higher payload/space requirements, without adding other vehicle types within a deployed fleet and adding to the logistic burden.

Adding simplicity to LMV’s logistic and maintenance demand, it uses already extensively tested Toyota automotive components that have been proven to deliver legendary reliability on all continents and climates globally whilst in full compliance with NATO multifuel policy. The LMV chassis structure has been developed to deliver an optimum mass to strength ratio providing unbeatable payloads in comparison to its competitors. This chassis is a dedicated design rather than a modified COTS chassis, and achieves full STANAG compliance for recovery, tie-down and under sling loads without compromise over a full-service life.

The Combat cell is highly modular allowing numerous configurations for different roles. The base combat cell provides a ROPS structure with seating for a crew of 4 (5th percentile Female to 95th percentile Male) in a 2+2 configuration and is equipped with a crew served main weapon (GPMG, HMG, GMG) mounted on a 360° slewing ring and commander’s weapon (GPMG) on a dash mounted swing arm. Space is allocated for customer specified communications/ECM equipment (with 24V DC power) and personal equipment. The rear of the cell forms a load bed for transport of vehicle CES and mission specific equipment. The Combat cell can be fitted with appliqué blast and ballistic protection kits and with environmental covers to allowing users to balance protection/mobility against changing threat levels in a range of climatic conditions.

Key benefits include:-

• Excellent strategic mobility – as well as transportable by fixed wing cargo aircraft for rapid deployment globally, the LMV can be loaded internally in CH47 and underslung from Merlin providing tactical mobility on the battlefield
• Class leading tactical mobility with a power to weight ratio of 32kW/t, long travel front suspension and weight compensating air bag rear suspension with optimised roll geometry for safe on and off-road performance
• Purpose designed chassis provides a high payload and dedicated recovery/under sling points allowing structural optimisation around military requirements to minimise weight and through life support demands
• Dedicated floor structure which can be manufactured from different material grades and thickness to meet a range of protection requirements
• The Combat Cell provides roll-over protection that exceed applicable commercial and military standards, while meeting the expected UK requirement to accommodate crew within the UK 5th percentile Female to 95th percentile Male occupants size range

In the development of the LMV, Supacat has engaged with Yorkshire-based ProSpeed Motorsport Ltd to develop the LMV’s chassis based on a 4×4 version of their HILOAD chassis, as well as developing a protected floor system and the interfaces between the chassis, floor and Combat Cell.

The Combat Cell has been developed by Armoured Car Systems in Bavaria, Germany, and is an optimised version of the Combat Cell fitted to its ENOK vehicle, currently in production for Bundeswehr, thus retaining the modularity and manufacturing process, with geometrical changes to suit the LMV.

Comments from the Managing Director of ProSpeed, Olly Marshall: “Supacat’s LMV Tactical represents a successful symbiosis of three proven platforms. Leveraging Toyota’s globally renowned and best in class supported COTS platform, militarised in combination with the world’s first and only true 5-tonne 4×4 solution of its kind in HILOAD, provides an unbeatable foundation to build from. An innovative and lightweight armoured floor and ACS combat cell complete what is a lightweight, infinitely adaptable to role and cost-effective light vehicle solution.”

The second system unveiled at DVD2024 is Supacat’s Armoured Closed Cab (ACC) HMT, which is specifically designed to support UK MoD’s Land Mobility Programme’s fleet reduction to 15 core platform chassis types or less by 2030.

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• See also: Supacat Unveils Armoured Closed Cab HMT