Toyota HiLux 6×6 prepares for war: Supacat MUV Hi-Load revealed
09/25/2024 03:00 PM
In an effort to offer a lower-cost off-road vehicle to military forces, defence company Supacat has created the 6×6 MUV – based on the Toyota HiLux.
A new military vehicle based on the Toyota HiLux has been unveiled to the global defence community.
Manufactured in Sydney, the Supacat Medium Utility Vehicle Hi-Load – or MUV, as it’s known – is based on Toyota’s popular dual-cab ute, but extends the chassis to enable the HiLux to become six-wheel drive, improving both the payload and off-road capability.
While the MUV is designed to be modular – allowing multiple configurations based on the client’s needs – the vehicle has been engineered to a 6.5-tonne gross vehicle mass (GVM), technically making it a truck, but with the ability to carry a payload of up to 3000kg.
Despite the modified chassis, and unlike several other military vehicles in this segment, the MUV uses many off-the-shelf components, making it more affordable and easier to maintain and repair.
While exact details of the MUV’s powertrain aren’t advertised, it’s understood the vehicle uses the HiLux 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine making 150kW and 500Nm – though Supacat told Drive upgrades to the engine are available.
MORE: Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series-based V8 6×6 patrol vehicles rejected by Army
The MUV is also able to support a common remotely operated weapon station, allowing occupants to engage targets while remaining in the cabin.
“The MUV continues the heritage of Supacat products by combining high mobility and high payload with liberating modularity,” a spokesperson for the company told Drive.
“We believe the MUV will find favour with regional forces seeking to maximise capability while being able to support the product locally from existing resources and infrastructure.”
However, the unveiling of the Supacat MUV comes just weeks after the Australian Defence Force announced it had added the Polaris DAGOR to its fleet – and less than two months after the ADF rejected a bid to supply militarised 6×6 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series utes from an Australian engineering firm.
The post Toyota HiLux 6×6 prepares for war: Supacat MUV Hi-Load revealed appeared first on Drive.
