Northern Territory News, CARSguide Saturday, December 5, 2009 — 7

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4WD EARNS STRIPES

MILITARY MIGHT: The sleek seven-tonne four-wheel-drive can carry up to six soldiers

By NEIL McDONALD

THIS rampaging automotive

Rambo is the Australian De-

fence Forces newest recruit.

The burly bush-basher, called

Hawkei, will replace 1300 Land

Rovers presently in use by the

Australian military.

Called a ‘‘protected military vehicle

light’’ or PMV-L, the bomb-proof off-

roader will be built in Bendigo,

Victoria by Thales Australia.

The sleek seven-tonne four-wheel-

drive can carry up to six soldiers, and

incorporates high levels of

survivability and blast and ballistic

protection.

Thales has already built a solid

global reputation for its almost inde-

structible Bushmaster troop carrier,

which is in use by the Australian,

British and Dutch armed forces.

The Hawkei will be built alongside

the 12-tonne 246kW diesel Bushmas-

ter and share some robust design

and construction cues.

It will be powered by a smaller six-

cylinder diesel engine, developing

more than 200kW.

But Thales and US company

Millenworks are engineering hybrid

power, which will deliver almost silent

running. A hybrid prototype is ex-

pected to be on the road next year.

Despite its military might, Hawkei

will cruise at speeds of more than

100km/h and four-wheel-drive will

allow it to cross the toughest terrain

via a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Inside the seats will be suspended

from the ceiling to avoid any blast

shocks being transmitted through the

floating floor if the vehicle drives over

a mine.

According to the makers, the

Hawkei has several key advantages

over the Land Rover. It is stronger,

safer and more capable of surviving

roadside explosions.

Like the Land Rover, the Hawkei

can be slung under a Chinook

helicopter and be air-freighted into

war zones.

Like the Bushmaster, which is

named after a deadly pit viper, the

newest ADF vehicle borrows its name

from another nasty snake, the Aust-

ral ian native death adder,

Acanthophis hawkei.

Like the Bushmaster, the smaller

vehicle is expected to be popular

with foreign armed forces.

The Bushmaster is already in use

by the British and Dutch forces and

has seen service in East Timor, Iraq

and Afghanistan.

Thale Australia managing director

Chris Jenkins said Hawkei was also

expected to generate export sales of

between 7000 and 10,000 targeting

the Dutch and US forces.

‘‘Hopefully we can do more than

that,’’ he said.

There are also plans for six other

variants, including a ute.