BRISBANE, Australia, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Thales Australia has unveiled its ground-breaking Hawkei light protected armored vehicle prototype at the Land Warfare Conference in Australia.
The Hawkei is a four-by-four, 7-ton vehicle with a large, protected interior space for six soldiers, superior blast and ballistic protection and advanced technology for rapid up-armoring in the field.
"Along with road trials, the Hawkei has also successfully passed a series of blast tests," said Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia's chief executive officer. "This achievement is the result of close collaboration with our partners Plasan Sasa, whose survivability systems expertise has been invaluable, as well as Boeing Defense Australia and PAC Group. All have been instrumental in ensuring the development program proceeds on schedule."
Jenkins said that in addition to Hawkei's technical advantages and low through-life support costs, an expert development team is available in Australia, guaranteeing dedicated customer service and supporting strategic Australian defense industry capability.
Australia is the process of identifying and procuring new vehicles for its army.
