U.K. Firm Adapting Off-Road Wildcat for Military

 

Supacat took a car orginially designed for the Paris-Dakar Rally

and turned it into a military scout vehicle. (Supacat)

27 Jul 2011 By ANDREW CHUTER DefenseNews

LONDON - A rally car turned military vehicle that's capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds is set to be launched by British company Supacat.

The high-speed, high-mobility Wildcat off-road machine, built by motorsport specialist QT Services, is being adapted for military duties by Supacat, with special forces, border patrol, rapid intervention and other roles in mind.

With a top speed of around 110 mph, the rally version of the Wildcat has performed with distinction in rough-terrain endurance events in Africa and Latin America in recent years.

Now Supacat, best known for its Jackal vehicles used by the British Army in Afghanistan, says it is militarizing the rally machine to fill a gap between small, low-cost, high-mobility platforms such as quad bikes and much heavier vehicles.

Jamie Clarke, Supacet's sales and marketing manager, said the two-seat vehicle is likely to be priced at about 250,000 pounds ($409,000), including the fitting of a Kongsberg remote weapons station.

Clarke said he expects the Middle East to be a prime market for a 2,580-kilogram gross weight machine, which has a range in its sports configuration of 2,000 kilometers.

The Supacat vehicle is being officially launched at the Defence Systems & Equipment International show here in September.

Clarke said his company already extensively uses motorsport suppliers, but "this is the first time we've taken an entire platform from the racing sector and marketed it into defense."

The executive said Supacat is considering lightweight armor, sensor and weapon solutions in a program aimed at making the military Wildcat available in early 2012.

"As military vehicles have become heavier and more expensive due to increased protection requirements, we perceive there is a gap in the market for a platform like Wildcat. ... It's on a different level in terms of performance and durability," Clarke said.