Advertisement

MWMIK Jackal
(click to view full)

Britain is part of the general push by western countries to field heavier, mine-protected vehicles, via orders for the Mastiff Cougar variant and its smaller 4×4 Ridgback companion. UK forces are also fielding vehicles like the Land Rover WMIK (Weapons Mounted Installation Kit) that have a very different core concept: firepower and visibility over protection. When deployed in mixed groups with more protected vehicles, and used on open terrain like the plains of southern Afghanistan, ‘the porcupine’ (WMIK) has earned enemy respect and commander requests.

The British sought to build on the WMIK’s strengths, in order to create a comparable vehicle with greater firepower and off-road mobility. Supacat’s HMT was adapted, then adopted, by the British and by Australia’s SAS commandos. Now, Britain has signed contracts for 2 new versions: Jackal 2, and the Coyote cargo vehicle…

• Land Rover WMIK Finds an Afghan Niche
• Supacat’s MWMIK/ “Jackal”: Origins and Program
• Supacat’s HMT: The Vehicles
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings

Land Rover WMIK Finds an Afghan Niche

Land Rover WMIK,
40mm GMG & GPMG
(click to view full)

The British Land Rover WMIK lacks even the protection levels of an armored Hummer. It’s a flat-bottomed vehicle with the troops positioned over the axles, which is where pressure mines will detonate. It has very little armor on the sides, no doors, and lacks a roof to protect its crew from the elements. Its weapons even lack transparent gunshields.

This is sometimes costly, vid. the June 9/07 incident outside of Sangin, Afghanistan. What the WMIK it does have is a pair of weapon mounts for firepower overmatch. The main mount can take a heavy machine gun for accurate ranged fire, or the 40mm grenade machine guns that have been in demand for their devastating area effects, or even a Javelin missile for use as a scouting mechanism and ultra-accurate long range shot. There’s also a lighter 7.62mm machine gun mount next to the “shotgun” front seat.

The “infantry enhancement” effect is similar to adding one of the Royal Marines’ popular BvS-10 Viking tracked vehicles, but with an adjusted set of plusses and minuses. Advantages include:

• Higher top speed
• Better all-round visibility
• Air portability via helicopters smaller than a CH-47 Chinook
• Lower costs

Drawbacks include:

• Cannot traverse some Afghan terrain that would be accessible to BVS10s
• Less armor protection in all dimensions, verging on none
• Less versatility in terms of possible battlefield roles

BvS-10, Afghanistan -
note anti-RPG ‘cage armor’
(click to view full)

On balance, however, these trade-offs appear to be acceptable to commanders in theater. The WMIK has become popular, and the Taliban reportedly refer to them as ‘porcupines’ due to their appearance and effect. They work with some reconnaissance and elite elements, act as advance scouts for some supply convoys, and also take up middle and rear positions to provide sudden firepower while the convoys are running.

On May 3/07, the UK MoD responded to press reports by saying:

“A newspaper repeats claims from earlier this week that British commanders in Afghanistan have complained that they do not have enough combat vehicles, especially the heavily-armed Land Rover “wimiks” (Weapons Mounted Installation Kit or WMIK). There are sufficient vehicles in Afghanistan to conduct our extant operations, and further vehicles have been delivered to allow for a planned step-change in the overall campaign. The new armoured Vector vehicles, purchased specifically for operations in Afghanistan, and the new Mastiff vehicles [DID: see DID coverage] have arrived in theatre. We’ve received the first tranches of these so far, with an additional batches coming in regularly and more to follow.”

At the time of the September 2007 MWMIK/Jackal announcement, there were 300 Land Rover WMIKs in the task force. Now they’re adding about 200 more upgraded Supacat/DML Jackals to that mix, to be delivered throughout 2008 as an Urgent Operational Requirement.

Supacat’s MWMIK/ Jackal: Origins and Program

Jackal, front
(click to view full)

The Jackals have a somewhat complicated history. As Battlespace Magazine notes:

“The initial history of the MWMIK was littered with cost overruns, delays and technology changes which resulted in the MoD taking IPR for the top hamper design of the vehicle. The vehicle was developed as a result of an MoD requirement for replacement of the ageing Pink Panther Land Rovers. The previous UOR, issued in 1982, caused the then Technical Director of SMC, Mike Stone, to say, “The only thing this vehicle [specification] can’t do is fly!” SMC declined to bid!

Thus, after many months of protracted negotiations, the MoD took some IPR over the vehicle which allowed it to purchase further batches, and a deal was hammered out with DML which allowed it to recoup some of the money in establishing the assembly for the initial batch. Supacat had obtained the sales and deign rights for the vehicle from HMT Vehicles Ltd a fledgling Scottish Company owned by the Duke Of Hamilton and the Trustees of the Hamilton Estates along with other investors.”

Jackal family vehicles are designed by Supacat in Honiton, Devon, but manufacturing is done by a company known for ship-building and nuclear submarines. New Babcock subsidiary Devonport Management Ltd (DML) will build it at their Devonport dockyard in Plymouth, as part of a larger diversification effort to reduce dependence on dwindling ship-building contracts for the Royal Navy et. al. Production of the new vehicles is expected to secure about 140 jobs, and the latest order extends production into early 2010.

In April 2009, the 2 firms formalized their alliance. A single project office, located at Dunkeswell in Devon, will provide overall control. Supacat is the design authority, responsible for design, development, prototyping, integration and overall program management. Babcock will take responsibility for detailed production planning, purchasing and manufacture. Other industrial partners include:

• Allison (transmission)
• Cummins (engine)
• Frazer-Nash systems engineering consultancy (assistance during testing and trials)
• Universal Engineering (chassis)

Lockheed Martin’s INSYS land vehicle subsidiary is also involved, thanks to its acquisition of original designer HMT Vehicles Ltd. HMT had originally negotiated a royalty of GBP 4,000 per axle for the vehicle, but the arrival of British contracts has reportedly led INSYS to reduce that royalty.

Supacat has been hoping for follow-on interest from the British government, and/or other governments around the world, in order to keep the ball rolling. Follow-on work has materialized from Britain, Australia has become the vehicle’s second special forces customer, and Canada currently has a special forces vehicle competition underway.

Supacat’s HMT: The Vehicles

Jackal, Afghanistan
(click to view full)

The new Supacat MWMIK/ Jackal has provisions for 2 crew-served weapons, just like the Land Rover WMIK. The other similarity is that it’s an open vehicle, so the crew has a full field of visibility and fire with rifles, light 5.56mm machine guns, or whatever is at hand. The Supacat HMT Jackal is larger at 5.39 m/ 17’8” long, and 6,650 kg/ 14,660 pounds. Key advantages include smoke/specialty grenade launchers as integral fittings, longer driving range, greater carrying capacity (4 tonnes), and far better off-road mobility than its Land Rover counterpart.

The follow-on Jackal 2 adds weight by adding some side armoring as standard equipment, and providing space for an additional crew member, but maintains similar performance. A larger 6.7 liter engine replaces the original vehicle’s 5.9 liter Cummins ISBe Euro3.

An optional “Extenda” module can add a third axle, turning the vehicle from a 4×4 into a 6×4 wheel base, and adding length and storage space. Conversation takes 2 hours, and requires a forklift. The Coyote TSV-Light is built as a 6×6 version from the outset (HMT 600), and will be used to carry supplies alongside its brethren.

Jackal 2
(click to view full)

The Supacats have very good all-terrain capability. Even so, they aren’t tracked vehicles; as Canada’s experiences alongside the British have shown, this can become an operational limitation. Fortunately, the vehicle’s intended use as a special forces vehicle and long-range reconnaissance platform is likely to keep the Jackal away from most of those situations.

When the terrain is suitable, the Jackal’s engine can push it to a top speed of 130 kmh/ 80 mph. Given convoy operational procedures and the ever-present dangers of mines from the enemy or even from the Soviet era, that mobility isn’t likely to be used very often during convoy operations. It may help get a scout group or special forces team out of the kill zone quickly, however, should they come under fire in ambushes. Absent protection, it does pay to have speed.

Some concerns do remain, however. Battlespace magazine:

“One stumbling block is believed to be the requirement to armour the front cab, an addition which not only adds weight to the front axle but also overall weight which may affect the ability to heli-lift the system. Another area of concern would be mobility in rough terrain with a 6×4 system with weight added. The Carmichael 6×4 Fire Engines purchased by the MoD in the eighties suffered from problems in rough and wet terrain due to the 3rd trailing non-driven axle getting stuck in the mud.”

Contracts and Key Events

Jackal, armed

April 22/09: Britain’s Ministry of Defence announces a GBP 74 million ($108 million equivalent) order for “around 110 enhanced Jackal 2 vehicles and more than 70 Coyote Tactical Support Vehicles.”

Canada’s solicitation is for 80 special reconnaissance vehicles and 20 quick reaction vehicles, to be fielded in a number of variants: troop carrier/weapons platform, cargo carrier with an optional tow package and trailer, ambulance, and a simpler litter carrier for stretcher cases.

Coyote TSV
(click to view full)

Nov 19/08: The UK MoD selects a 6×6 version of Supacat’s Jackal as its preferred choice for the Coyote TSV (Light), an all-terrain vehicle with enhanced carrying capacity. It’s expected to operate alongside Jackal vehicles as supply carriers.

At this point, exact vehicle numbers and costs have yet to be finalized. This purchase is part of a GBP 700 million land vehicle upgrade round that was first announced on Oct 29/08. UK MoD Oct 29 | UK MoD Nov 19.

Oct 27/08: While visiting the Australian Special Air Services Regiment (SASR) at Campbell Barracks in Western Australia, the Minister for Defence inspects the first Nary Special Operations Vehicles (SOVs) delivered under Project Redfin. They replace the current set of long range patrol vehicles. Project Redfin is designed to enhance the ADF’s Special Operations equipment, and will introduce a range of combat and support vehicles.

Australia’s DoD confirms that they have ordered 31 SOVs, whose design is based upon the Supacat HMT. Australia’s version has been named the ‘Nary,’ in honour of SASR Warrant Officer Class Two David Nary, who died during a training operation in the Middle East in 2005. Australian DoD release.

Oct 16/08: The Supacats are not designed for mine protection. UK MoD release:

“It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of Trooper James Munday, of 1 Troop, D Squadron, the Household Cavalry Regiment, on Wednesday 15 October 2008. Trooper Munday was serving as a Jackal driver on Operation HERRICK 8 when he was killed in action in Helmand province. His Troop was conducting a routine patrol approximately 23km north of Forward Operating Base Delhi when he was killed by a contact explosion [land mine].”

May 8/08: Supacat announces that the UK MoD is buying another 72 Jackal vehicles, bringing total UK orders to 202.

Apr 25/08: The UK MoD announces that the first MWMIK Jackal courses for drivers and driver instructors have just finished at the Defence School of Transport (DST).

At this point, there are 10 instructors on the Jackal at DST, with 12 of the vehicles at their disposal to be used for some 24 courses per year. All potential Jackal operators from 3 Commando Brigade, approximately 120, will train on the vehicle initially at DST. The article adds that the vehicle is already being used in the field by 16 Air Assault Brigade.

Sept 5/07: The UK MoD announces a GBP 30 million contract for 130 Supacat HMT MWMIK/Jackal vehicles.

strong>Additional Readings

• Supacat – HMT Family

• Elite UK Forces – Mobility Troop – SupaCAT HMT 400 / MWMIK. Says that the vehicle has been ordered by Britain’s SAS as a long-range patrol vehicle, as a replacement for their Land Rovers.

• CASR – Canadian Forces Special Operations Vehicles – Special Reconnaissance (SR) and Quick Reaction (QR) Vehicles – the Candidates

• UK Mod (Oct 13/09) – Helmand-bound Cavalry test Jackals on the dunes

• UK MoD (March 25/09) – British Forces attack Taliban in the Snake’s Belly. Narrates Operation KAPCHA BAZ (“Cobra Eagle” in Pashtu). Note the Jackal’s varying roles, from fast-moving firepower overmatch to work in pursuit and blocking roles.

• DID (Nov 4/08) – UK SAS Commander Quits, Citing Inadequate Equipment. The commander had specifically asked for Jackal all-terrain vehicles, instead of the Land Rover Snatch vehicle that failed to protect his road-bound troops. He was refused.

• UK MoD (June 5/08) – Taking the Jackal for a spin. While the author praises the vehicle’s ability to handle terrain, terrain won’t be the only threat the vehicle will face, by any means.

• UK MoD (Dec 3/07) – “Just one bloke who got a medal”: Marine who hammered the Taliban. Describes the efforts by WMIK gunner and Royal Marine Corporal John Thompson that earned him the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which is just one level lower than the Victoria/George crosses as a combat decoration.

• Plymouth Herald (Sept 6/07) – DML CONTRACT MAY START A BOOM

• Daily Mail (Sept 5/07) – Army to use ‘Mad Max’ 4×4 to fight Taliban

• UK MoD (Sept 5/07) – MOD signs contract for new Army patrol vehicles

• Battlespace Magazine (Vol. 10, Issue 1, July-August 2007) – MWMIK ORDER SUSTAINS DML DRIVE TO DEVELOP MILITARY VEHICLE SEGMENT. By far the most detailed description of the order, the vehicles, and their history. Note that this publication’s approach causes its stories to appear only temporarily.

• EU Referendum (Aug 28/07) – Imagine this was a “Snatch.” Richard North uses a photo of a US Cougar 6×6 mine-resistant vehicle that had just hit a land mine. Despite a clearly wrecked vehicle, whose engine lay almost 100 years away, the crew all escaped. As one might guess, the MWMIK purchase comes in for strong criticism.

• UK MoD (July 25/07) – New patrol vehicles will give troops enhanced capability