Type Armoured car Designed Commenced early 2010 Produced Expected early 2016 | Place of origin Australia Manufacturer Thales Australia | |
 | ||
Designer Thales, Boeing Australia, Plasan | ||
The Hawkei PMV is a light 4 x 4 protected mobility vehicle originally designed to meet an Australian Defence Force (ADF) requirement for a light armoured patrol vehicle to replace some of its Land Rover Perentie variants. The Hawkei is a highly mobile, highly protected, 7-tonne vehicle, with in-built systems to allow it to be used as a fighting platform. It has been developed with Vehicle Electronic Architecture to be mission system ready. Prime contractors include: Thales Australia, Boeing Australia, Plasan (Israel) and PAC Group. In October 2015, the Australian Government announced the purchase of 1,100 Hawkeis from Thales Australia.
Contents
History
As part of a wider project to replace the ADF's fleet of operational support vehicles, Project Land 121 Phase 4 – Protected Mobility Vehicle (Light) or PMV-L, is a requirement for up to 1,300 specialised light armoured vehicles replace some of the in-service Land Rovers. Key criteria for the project included: off-road mobility, integrated vehicle electronic architecture, substantial payloads, high levels of protection against land mines, improvised explosive devices and ballistic weapons while being light enough to be air transported by military helicopters. The three options considered as part of the project were:
Competitors for the MSA option included the combat proven MOWAG Eagle IV from General Dynamics Land Systems; the British military then selected Ocelot from Force Protection; and the Hawkei offering from Thales Australia. The JTLV option included entries from BAE Systems/Navistar, AM General/General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.
In December 2011 the Australian Department of Defence announced Hawkei as the preferred vehicle for further development and testing under the MSA option.
In October 2015, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Defence Marise Payne announced the purchase of 1,100 Hawkeis and 1,000 trailers at a cost of $1.3 billion.
Variants
All variants use the same four wheeled platform.
Command
Dual cab manned by a crew of four to six, weapons system options including up to 12.7mm guns or 40mm grenade systems in various mounts with a remote operated option.
Border Protection
Dual cab manned by a crew of four to six, various equipment options including force protection radar, surveillance and communications systems.
Special Operations Vehicle
Dual cab manned by a crew of four to six with up to three weapon systems:
Utility
Single-extended cab with a flat-bed cargo area measuring; L: 2,000 mm (79 in) x W: 2,400 mm (94 in). The vehicle is manned by a crew of 2-3 and has a kerb weight of 6,800 kg (14,991 lb) with a rated cargo load of 3,000 kg (6,614 lb). The load bed is designed to accommodate four 1000mm × 1200mm (40" x 48") NATO standard military pallets or a single tricon (one-third ISO 20 ft) container.
Etymology
The Hawkei is named after Acanthophis hawkei, a species of death adder.
Users
Australia