Hawkei Shortlisted for Army Vehicle Program

(May 26, 2010) -- Thales Australia has welcomed the government's announcement that the Hawkei Light Protected Vehicle has been downselected for the next stage of the Department of Defence's LAND 121 Phase 4 program to replace the Army's Land Rover fleet with protected vehicles.

This decision by government reflects the maturity of the Hawkei's design, its class leading performance, and rapid progress made in testing and validation. The vehicle has completed more than 10,000 kilometres of both on-road and off-road testing, meeting all its performance benchmarks and exhibiting high levels of reliability.

The Hawkei has also successfully passed an extensive series of mine blast, side blast and ballistic protection tests, demonstrating that its technology is able to provide the highest levels of protection for Australian soldiers.

Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia's CEO, said the decision to back proven Australian design and manufacturing expertise would produce the best outcomes for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the country.

"Thales and our partners are already fully mobilised and well advanced with the vehicle proving program. Our next series of vehicles are already under construction, and we are on track to meet the ambitious timetable to deliver prototypes for Army testing by the end of the year."

The Hawkei is a next generation solution designed specifically to meet the exacting requirements of the ADF. It is backed by the combined expertise of Thales Australia's integrated project team and world class partners Boeing Defence Australia, PAC Group and Plasan - Thales's exclusive Australian partner for LAND 121 Phase 4 and the leading provider of combat-proven armour solutions.

The Hawkei can provide a tactical advantage to Australian troops well into the future, with its unique open architecture enabling full integration with a wide range of sensors, weapons, additional armour, C4I and new electronic systems.

There is also a considerable export market for the Hawkei because of its exceptional mobility, usability and protection levels. Like the Bushmaster before it, the Hawkei is proof that Australian design and manufacturing expertise for protected vehicles is leading the world.

Source : Thales Group (Paris: HO.PA)