News Review: Marshall, Thales sign vehicle MOU | ADM Dec 2010/Jan 2011

UK company Marshall Land Systems and Thales Australia announced in November they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on vehicle opportunities in Australia, in particular Project Land 121 - Overlander where Thales is offering its locally designed and manufactured Hawkei.

The MOU covers areas where the two companies’ capabilities, products and services complement each other, and where their interests can be jointly expanded, especially to provide turnkey solutions.

It follows close cooperation between Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd and Thales UK on successful programs such as the Watchkeeper UAV and through the close cooperation developed on the Bushmaster Utility vehicles.

The MOU will initially be serviced by Marshall Land Systems’ company Marshall Specialist Vehicles (MSV), but will eventually migrate to the new Marshall Land Systems company in Australia, Marshall Land Systems Pty Ltd.

Thales Australia managing director Chris Jenkins said that the Bushmaster production process, which saw the engagement of over 120 local SMEs in production, would be expanded for Hawkei.

There was also an emphasis from the Thales team that this vehicle, unlike the Bushmaster, had been designed for ease of manufacture while keeping costs low.

“The Hawkei has a higher level of protection than the Bushmaster and is undergoing rigorous testing in every way,” Jenkins said while outlining that the vehicle had already done 20,000 kilometres on the Angelsea test track in Victoria.