Supacat delivers first JP2097 Phase 1B vehicle

Supacat Pty Ltd handed over the prototype Extenda Special Operations Vehicle – Direct Action (SOV-DA) to Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare on December 13^th.

The Minister also officially opened the company’s new facility in Port Melbourne, which will provide design and engineering support and logistics back up to the existing Special Operations Vehicle – Special Reconnaissance (SOV-SR) Nary fleet, acquired under JP2097 Phase 1A (REDFIN), as well as the development of the Extenda.

Supacat Australia was selected as the preferred bidder for the supply of a prototype Direct Action vehicle under the Project Definition and Evaluation phase of JP2097 Phase 1B earlier this year, which will be used to inform capability options prior to Second Pass in 2014/15.

The company is partnered by Elbit Systems Australia, who is the Commonwealth’s prime systems integrator for the command and control element. It has also formed ‘Supacat Team Australia to develop the vehicle, a consortium of 15 Australian companies which include Broens, Marand, Hallmark Logistics & Engineering and Tectonica.

The SOV-DA prototype is largely based on the Extenda vehicle currently in production for the United Kingdom, but has been modified to meet Australian requirements. Much of the equipment above the vehicle’s ‘waterline’ has been manufactured in Melbourne by local companies.

Although the prototype vehicle was largely manufactured in the United Kingdom, Supacat Pty Ltd Managing Director Mr Michael Halloran says that a local production facility will be sought should the Extenda become the selected vehicle.

Logistics support for both it and the Nary will be managed from the Port Melbourne facility.

“Australia is the first country outside the United Kingdom where Supacat provides complete in-country support from prototype design right through to spares and maintenance,” Halloran said.

“It means we can work closely with our customer to ensure the vehicles our soldiers are using are the best and safest possible, for the environments where they are deployed.”

Halloran also revealed that there has been recent interest for the Extenda vehicle from countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Prototype REDFIN 1B vehicle was due to be inducted into Elbit’s facility in Port Melbourne just before Christmas, for installation and integration of the electronics and communications systems, before being delivered to Army’s Monegeeta proving ground for evaluation in early 2013.