In the trenchesTurning sport vehicle into military machine

Published 1 August 2011

U.K. companies to transform a proven sports vehicle into a high performance, off road vehicle for special forces, border patrol, reconnaissance, rapid intervention or strike roles; the Wildcat 500 DKR boasts high speed performance in harsh environments

Supacat's militarized version of the Wildcat // Source: businessinsider.com

Devon, U.K.-based Supacat is launching a military variant of the Rally Raid-proven Wildcat into the global defense market “to offer a high performance, off road vehicle for special forces, border patrol, reconnaissance, rapid intervention or strike roles,” the company says. The company says the Wildcat will fill a significant gap that currently exists between lightweight and less expensive high mobility platforms such as quad bikes and the heavier, more specialized Jackal.

The teaming of Supacat and QT Services aims to provide race-bred capability in a fully integrated military variant of the race car at an affordable price. The transfer and modification of an entire U.K. vehicle from the motorsport industry into a military role by Supacat may well be an industry first.

Supacat has partnered with Wildcat Design Authority and manufacturer, QT Services, to deliver a military variant of Wildcat 500 DKR, which boasts high speed performance in harsh environments for a vehicle in its size and weight class. Supacat is responsible for militarizing the vehicle, including systems integration and volume production. A variety of lightweight armor solutions, weapons, and communications systems can be fitted to meet each customer’s requirements. Supacat will be displaying a militarized variant of Wildcat at DSEi in September.

Wildcat’s rugged and high performance profile is an ideal fit with Supacat, given our unrivalled pedigree in high mobility military vehicles with outstanding off road performance, such as Jackal, Coyote and the SPV400”, said Jamie Clarke, Sales and Marketing Manager, Supacat. He continued:

Compared to other ‘Modified Off The Shelf’ vehicles, the Wildcat is on a different level in terms of performance and durability. It has the race results to prove it can perform in the desert and other environments, it is light and agile yet big enough to carry the sub-systems required on operations. As military vehicles have become heavier and more expensive due to increased protection requirements, we perceive that there is a gap in the market for a platform like the Wildcat. We have a history of successfully using the motorsport industry to enhance our current products, hence Jackal has over 14 motorsport companies in its supply chain. However this is the first time we’ve taken an entire platform from the racing sector and marketed it into defense. It’s very exciting!”.

The Wildcat has a tubular space-frame chassis and state of the art suspension with a reputation for rugged reliability. With a Gross Vehicle Weight of 2580kg and size (3800mm x 1755mm) it is air portable. Maximum speed is 106 mph (170km/h) and range is 2000km. The Wildcat is available with specially developed air conditioning to reduce crew fatigue. It also shares some parts with Land Rover so the logistic footprint is reduced for any military customer who already has Land Rovers in service.

QT Services’s Managing Director, Dave Marsh commented, “we are delighted to have reached this agreement with Supacat. We are two U.K. companies based in the South West who share a similar ethos; our companies are a good cultural fit. The Wildcat fits in well with Supacat’s existing product range of high performance vehicles and we’re very much looking forward to tackling new markets with a well-proven product”.