Hawkei

Hawkei
A Hawkei protected mobility vehicle on display at the 2014 MSPO
Type	Armoured car
Place of origin	Australia
Production history
Designer	Thales, Boeing Australia, Plasan
Designed	Commenced early 2010
Manufacturer	Thales Australia
Produced	Expected early 2016
Variants	Command, Liaison, Special Operations, Border Protection, Utility
Specifications
Weight	7,000 kg (15,432 lb) (kerb), 10,000 kg (22,046 lb) (GVM)
Length	5,780mm
Width	2,396mm
Height	2,300mm
Crew	Generally 4 to 6
Armor	Greater than STANAG 4569, Level 1. Additional Applique armour provided by Plasan composite and V-shaped monocoque hull
Main armament	Gun ring for up to a heavy crew-served weapon
Engine	Steyr M16 six-cylinder diesel, turbocharged. 200 kW (268 hp) @ 4,000rpm 610 N·m (450 lb·ft) @ 2,000rpm
Transmission	ZF 6HP280, six-speed automatic
Suspension	AxleTech 3000, fully independent, coil and double wishbone
Fuel capacity	200 L (53 U.S. gal)
Operational range	600 km (373 mi)
Speed	130km/h (max) 100km/h (governed)
Steering system	Power rack and pinion

The Hawkei PMV is a light 4 x 4 protected mobility vehicle originally designed to meet an Australian Defence Force (ADF) requirement for a light armoured patrol vehicle to replace some of its Land Rover Perentie variants. The Hawkei is a highly mobile, highly protected, 7-tonne vehicle, with in-built systems to allow it to be used as a fighting platform. It has been developed with Vehicle Electronic Architecture to be mission system ready. Prime contractors include: Thales Australia, Boeing Australia, Plasan (Israel) and PAC Group. In October 2015, the Australian Government announced the purchase of 1,100 Hawkeis from Thales Australia.

As part of a wider project to replace the ADF's fleet of operational support vehicles, Project Land 121 Phase 4 – Protected Mobility Vehicle (Light) or PMV-L, is a requirement for up to 1,300 specialised light armoured vehicles replace some of the in-service Land Rovers. Key criteria for the project included: off-road mobility, integrated vehicle electronic architecture, substantial payloads, high levels of protection against land mines, improvised explosive devices and ballistic weapons while being light enough to be air transported by military helicopters. The three options considered as part of the project were:

Competitors for the MSA option included the combat proven MOWAG Eagle IV from General Dynamics Land Systems; the British military then selected Ocelot from Force Protection; and the Hawkei offering from Thales Australia. The JTLV option included entries from BAE Systems/Navistar,AM General/General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.

In December 2011 the Australian Department of Defence announced Hawkei as the preferred vehicle for further development and testing under the MSA option.

In October 2015, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for Defence Marise Payne announced the purchase of 1,100 Hawkeis and 1,000 trailers at a cost of $1.3 billion.