23 Feb 2023

Collaborative relationship will deliver major order with UK MOD for High Mobility Transporters  

We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be working in collaboration with Devon-based Supacat, to deliver an order of 70 High Mobility Transporters (HMT 400 series) from the UK Ministry of Defence. The order was placed with Supacat on behalf of the British Army.

With an initial order of 70, the contract award could lead to the production of as many as 240 of the light armoured vehicles, should operational requirements demand. The contract is to be delivered between Supacat’s manufacturing facilities near Honiton where 10 new jobs will be created, and our Devonport site in Plymouth, where we’re pleased to be able to create 90 new jobs as a result of this collaboration.

Named ‘Jackal’ by the British Army, the HMT 400 series is a supremely versatile platform with unparalleled cross-country performance. Originally, developed in the 1990s, the Jackal builds on the success of Supacat’s original All Terrain Mobility Platform (ATMP). Produced in 4×4, 6×6 and convertible ‘Extenda’ configurations, Supacat’s HMT range has a worldwide reputation as formidable off-road vehicles and is in use with specialist and other armed forces worldwide.

The HMT platform vehicle has also proven itself internationally and is in service in Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Estonia. Further export opportunities are currently being explored, bringing further investment to the South West.

Tom Newman, Chief Executive of Babcock’s Land Sector, said: “This order is fantastic news for both Babcock and the local community in Plymouth. As a world-class engineering partner, we are delighted to be taking a key role in the production of this new phase of the Jackal platform, a truly British designed and manufactured vehicle. We are proud to be playing our part in supporting the British Army’s Land Industrial Strategy by securing critical industrial skills and capabilities and enhancing social value, including the creation of 90 new jobs.

“This new contract shows how British industry can work collaboratively to rapidly respond to defence requirements and deliver in short timescales. The HMT 400 series is also not only a battle-proven vehicle but a fantastic export asset in its own right, and our chosen build location in the freeport zone of Plymouth will enhance its export prospects.”

Nick Ames, Chief Executive for Supacat, said: “This is an enormously important contract win for us. Primarily it further evidences our customer’s confidence in our HMT 400 product after 20 years of service. Furthermore it gives us a platform to secure potential export orders and thereby shows how investment in UK products can provide benefit to the wider UK economy.”

This contract further builds on our well-established relationship with Supacat, having worked together to meet the UOR demand for Afghanistan when over 600 vehicles were assembled through our Devonport facility within a three-year period.