ADM understands Supacat is eying the New Zealand Army’s Protected Mobility Capability Project (PMCP) utility requirement as an opportunity for its new High Mobility Transporter-Utility (HMT-U) vehicle. Supacat was showing the concept vehicle, alongside promotional material aimed at the New Zealand market, during Land Forces 2022.
Through the PCMP, the New Zealand Army is modernising its operational vehicle fleet. So far, the Army has selected the Thales Bushmaster NZ5.5 to replace its armoured Pinzgauers, and the Polaris MRZR to supplant a variety of lightweight vehicles across the service. The last remaining stage of Phase One is identifying a replacement for Unimog and non-armoured Pinzgauer utility vehicles.
Phase Two of the program, slated to kick off around 2025 or 2026, will examine options for either upgrading or replacing New Zealand’s fleet of NZLAV armoured fighting vehicles.
The HMT-U appears to be a strong contender for the utility phase of the PCMP Phase One program. Company representatives emphasised to ADM that, aside from modifications to facilitate a more modular approach, the core drive train and chassis are shared with the High Mobility Transporter-Extenda (HMT-E) which is in use with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Because of this, existing sovereign supply chains in both Australia and New Zealand could be expanded if the vehicle were to be procured.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Supacat declined to comment on any future plans for the vehicle, nor what opportunities it is exploring.
“The HMT-U is at concept demonstrator stage and we are not in a position to [discuss] any future plans,” the spokesperson said.
Nevertheless, ADM understands that the company has engaged in conversations with the NZDF and New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) around future procurement opportunities.
A representative of Supacat told ADM that the new vehicle shares its predecessor's focus on modularity, with additional modifications to better accommodate a wide variety of customer modules. While no specific modules have been developed, cargo, command and control (C2), troop carrier and maintenance concepts were displayed.
Like the HMT-E, the vehicle can be quickly transformed from a 4x4 wheel configuration to a 6x6 one. ADM understands that this process can be accomplished in a relatively short period, with unit-level maintenance personnel and equipment more than capable of performing the task. This modularity and adaptability, a representative explained to ADM, makes it a competitive product. Rather than acquiring a specific vehicle for each role, a smaller number of common chassis could be bought, with additional modules acquired as needed.