The
Thales Hawkei is a light wheeled protected vehicle
buit by Thales on its significant experience with
the Australian Bushmaster program to design this
next generation vehicle. Drawing on both international
and local expertise provided by Boeing, PAC Group
or Plasan, and numerous Australian Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises (SMEs), the vehicle’s design incorporates
world-leading innovative technologies. The Thales
Hawkei was designed within the framework of a modernization
of light wheeled vehicles used by the Australian
Army. The Hawkei is currently being submitted for
the Australian Department of Defence's LAND 121
Phase 4 program, which will provide a Light Protected
Vehicle to replace the Australian Army's Landrover
fleet. Following the tradition of the Bushmaster,
which is named after a deadly pit viper, the new
addition is named after a stealthy species of Death
Adder – Acanthophis hawkei – which is
native to Australia. The new ground-breaking design
meets emerging performance and capability requirements,
including systems that allow the Hawkei to become
a fully integrated node on the network centric battlefield.
The Hawkei is designed to accommodate the future
system demands of adaptive campaigning, with C4I
(Command, Control, Communications, Computers and
Intelligence) capabilities as fundamental part of
its DNA.
An engineering mock-up of the Hawkei will be on
display at Armoured Vehicles Australia in November
2009 (AVA), highlighting its internal seating layout
and ground-breaking design.
The
Hawkei can be fitted with a remote controlled
weapon station armed with weapons up to
12,7 mm.
Protection
The
4x4, 6-crew, 7-tonne Hawkei provides unparalleled
situational awareness, lethality and survivability
for a vehicle its size. The Thales Hawkei
is a mobile, versatile, and above all well-protected
vehicle. It incorporates high levels of
blast and ballistic protection in a light,
highly manoeuvrable and readily air transportable
vehicle that has been engineered for peak
performance. A systems approach to vehicle
protection includes high levels of mine
blast protection integrated into the Hawkei’s
hull design, while its adaptable ballistic
protection technology is designed to be
easily removed for air transportation and
then refitted by a two-person crew in less
than 30 minutes without using specialised
equipment. This innovative design allows
the Hawkei to be operated in full protection
configuration that can then be reconfigured
and upgraded for specific mission threats.
Propulsion
No
information at this time.
Accessories
The
Thales Hawkei can be airlifted by a C-130
Hercules transport or other standard cargo
aircraft.
India
on Friday, February 10, 2012, tested a ballistic missile interceptor
from a defence base in Odisha to create a shield against incoming enemy
missiles, a senior defence official said.
