Thales Group’s Hawkei — a seven-tonne, 4x4, new generation protected vehicle with a three-tonne payload — is among the candidates to progress to the next stage of the procurement process, which also includes:

• Fortress MK2 —offered by France-based Arquus and Poland’s H. Cegielski-Poznan facility;
• Patriot II — manufactured by Polish firm Huta Stalowa Wola and Czech group Tatra Export; and
• Polish manufacturer AMZ Kutno’s Tur V vehicle.

The Polish Ministry of National Defence is expected to provide the candidates with technical specifications regarding the military’s needs later this year.

As part of the ministry’s plan, the successful candidate will be required to produce the vehicles in Poland, with the first units scheduled to be delivered to the military two years after the contract is awarded.

In October 2015, the Australian government signed an agreement with Thales Australia for the acquisition and support of 1,100 Hawkei vehicles and 1,058 companion trailers, for use in “command, liaison, utility and reconnaissance roles”.

The vehicles are being specifically developed to meet the ADF’s requirements for survivability, mobility, payload, communications, usability and sustainability.

[Related: WA industry to benefit from ADF Hawkei acquisition program]

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Charbel Kadib

News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.