Babcock has completed its Jackal 3 delivery programme for the British Army, with the final vehicles rolling off the production line at Devonport in Plymouth, the company stated.
The company has built and delivered 123 Jackal 3 and Jackal 3 Extenda vehicles in partnership with Supacat, a defence engineering SME. The final vehicle to leave the line was Supacat’s six-wheeled Extenda variant, which will undergo testing before joining the British Army’s operational fleet. According to Babcock, completion of the programme provides the Army with one of the most versatile high-mobility weapons platforms in its class, with the Jackal 3 family suited to reconnaissance, patrol and logistics tasks.
Louise Atkinson, Chief Executive of Land and Mission Systems at Babcock, was quoted in the press release as saying: “The British Army needs a highly practical weapons platform with exemplary off-road performance, and with Supacat’s Jackal 3, we’ve delivered a fleet of vehicles that meets this requirement. To have reached this milestone demonstrates Babcock’s commitment and expertise in delivering high-quality military vehicles to the armed forces. This critical programme required a large amount of collaboration, and I’d like to thank everyone for their tireless work in making it a success.”
Phil Applegarth, Director and Head of Supacat, was quoted in the press release as saying: “We are all delighted to have collaborated with Babcock on the successful manufacture and delivery of this important British Army programme. By combining Babcock’s extensive expertise in defence support and production with our own innovative design capabilities and agile approach, we have delivered together the latest Jackal variants to the British Army. This programme is a great example of what can be achieved through strong collaboration, and we are incredibly proud to have played a role in enhancing the Army’s fleet with these highly capable vehicles and supporting UK defence.”
Major General Lizzie Faithfull-Davies, Director Land Environment, National Armaments – Material, was quoted in the press release as saying: “This marks a significant milestone with the completion of the Jackal 3 (Extenda) platform build programme. Building on the successful delivery of the initial 70 Jackal 3 vehicles, this enhanced capability reflects our continued commitment to providing the Army with highly capable, adaptable mobility on operations. This achievement is testament to the strength of our enduring partnership with Babcock and Supacat. Their responsiveness, engineering expertise and collaborative approach has been central to delivering a platform that meets operational needs while maintaining pace and quality. We look forward to continuing this close relationship as we develop and sustain capability into the future.”
The Jackal has served with the British Army since the late 2000s, valued for its off-road mobility and open-topped configuration in reconnaissance and fire support roles across a range of operational theatres. Defence Minister Lord Coaker was quoted in the press release as saying: “These vehicles, built right here in Devonport, will give our forces one of the most capable high-mobility platforms available. The Defence Investment Plan reconfirms the vital role that land vehicles play in our armed forces’ capability – ensuring land forces can seize or defend ground in all environments and conditions. It is exactly this kind of collaboration between British industry and our armed forces that helps support local industry and demonstrates that defence is an engine for growth.”
.wish list…now another 50 with the msi ds30mm counter uas gun on it….
Another 50 with the frankensam on….er…
AA
Is that something that is in the pipeline because that would be a very useful bit of kit!
I would imagine some kind of Martlet launcher would be very useful but not sure if that could be launched from this vehicle. If so it would provide the ground troops with a door anti-drone shield on a very mobile and versatile platform
That’s a lot of topweight on a relatively tall, thin vehicle if you just use the existing jackal platform.
The armoured cab flatbed extender on the other hand…
Good point The Basset
Would it maybe fit onto a boxer? Or dare i say it… Ajax? Gives it a bit more survivability going into more contested areas to keep up with the troops.
Or is that just over complicating it and making it more expensive than it needs to be?
Keith, Ajax at 38-42 tonnes is far better protected than its 7.8 tonne Scimitar predecessor. I am not sure what you are suggesting adding to Ajax from the Jackal 3?
Which troops is Ajax supposed to keep up with? As a recce vehicle it will be ahead of all other troops on the battlefield!
Hi Graham,
My pist isnt about Ajax specifically. I was asking what platform would be best to add a land based counter drone interceptor too.
Armchair Admiral suggested adding Frankensam to the Jackle three which I agree would seem like a good idea but as The Basset pointed out, it might be too.mucb top.weight.
In terms of counter drone what would you suggest is the best platform?
The Americans seem to be looking at RWS with GPMG for armour Point defence against drones, probably a better bet for jackal than trying to mount a massive 30mm on it.
MoD has been looking at modifying our vehicle based RWS to give its a C-UAS ability. This is part of the same program that delivered the SMASH sight for IW mounting.
Have a look at the new Raven version. It’s based on the Extenda chassis, but with an armoured enclosed cab. The fixed and gash launch rails have now been replaced with a fully moving and elevating Moog turret, that can be fitted with 4 SL ASRAAM, or the new smaller and lighter MBDA counter mass interceptor (CMI) missile. It is missing either a 50 cal HMG or 30mm class autocannon though.
Hi Keith, what platform to mount an anti-air system on? The British Army has deployed and fired Starstreak from CVR(T) STORMER and previous similar anti-aircraft systems such as Javelin and Blowpipe were carried on but not fired from a Land Rover. Clearly I am not advocating that an expebsive Starstreak is used to take down cheap drones. My point was about the platforms used for anti-air weapons.
The RAF’s Smart Sentry is carried on a MAN 4×4 and is dismounted for firing.
Point is, I don’t think it matters what platform an anti-drone system is carried in or launched from. A small cheap lightly armoured vehicle in forward areas perhaps and soft-skinned small wheeled vehicles elsewhere? Most would prefer that the system can be launched from the vehicle rather than be dismounted I am sure. Better to have lots of cheap, light platforms to maximise the number of platforms (and launchers) given over to the anti-drone mission. We can assume that such a role would go to an AD Regt RA?
Elsewhere anti-drone weapons (perhaps cheaper and less sophisticated?) will be in use by non-specialised troops as part of their normal arsenal of kit and they would use whatever vehicle has been issued for ther primary role.
@GM The Martlet as referenced by ‘The Basset’ and who he was replying to.
Now decide on Patria and give them a contract to build them!
I would like to see an anti- drone cage similar to the planned French Leclerc MBT, as the openness of the vehicle concerns me a little. I know the vehicle offers excellent protection; however, the design pre-dates modern drones.
Is the Army getting the 120mm mortar attachment to these Extenda vehicles? I think it was from ST Engineering?
123, given the service expectations I suppose what 75 available for work at any time. That means insufficient to fight a war. If we can’t fight a war because if insufficient tanks, mobile units, ships, planes, manufacturing etc then we might as well scrap the mod
I believe the Jackal in all forms amounts to a lot more than this new fleet. I suspect many of these will not be sold off but retained as war reserve.
Yes, apparently 500 in total, still not a lot. When you consider that Russia has a much lower gdp and a much greater army, navy and airforce. Indeed despite being in a war Putin managed to send more naval ships on exercise than the royal navy has
1) Jackal only serves in a few formations;
The 4 Light Cav Regiments
1 R Irish
and SF/SOF
It’s hardly the backbone of the British Army.
2) Purchasing Power Parity is a thing
3) But Russia isn’t facing just the UK, it’s facing Europe.
It’s only serving in a small number of places because we have the smallest army we have ever had., and still shrinking.
Congratulations on the stupidest comment of the day.
It’s serving in a small number of formations because 5 unit’s out of 40 is a small percentage.
So we have a huge army do we? We have a tiny army, so small its not really an army any more in anything but name. This is not an attack on the people serving but on successive governments that have hacked and hacked and hacked until there is literally nothing left.
No, the Army is small and professional.
But the original point was about Jackal.
It’s not issued to the RA, the RE, the RLC, the RAMC, the IC, the REME, the RS, the AAC, basically most of the Army.
It’s issued to the Light Cavalry Regiments of the RAC, and a few minor elements of the Infantry and as required for SF/SOF.
These elements are but a small part of the Army, thus, Jackal usage isn’t widespread, there’s no need for it to be as most Army units don’t have such a role.
Britain has always had a small army, the only exception was 1917-1918. YOU brought up that the Jackal Numbers “where not enough to fight a war”. Igonring that, as I, and Daniele now, have pointed out, it’s a specialised recce vehicle issues to a very limited number of units SO OF COURSE THERE WON’T BE MANY OF THEM.
You also managed to completely ignore point 3, which is a rather important one.
This is not a small army, its less than half a football crowd, thats not small it is insignificant, not enough bodies for ANY job. A recce vehicle with a limited number of units because the army only has a very limited number of men, still, when you want to recce you need to have some available – and its not just the tiny number of units that might want to take a look… by the time you take off numbers for battle damage, breakdown and maintenance there just arent enough.Same as there arent enough tanks, guns, artillery pieces, drones or in fact anything. Hell we deployed a fraction of the then (bigger than now) tiny army to Iraq and didnt even have enough body armour for those few troops. We are NOT prepared for war and with the USA starting them faster than a machine gun we are in a position where we may actually have to fight them to defend ourselves (we have oil and Trump wants oi;l) or Greenland, the Falklands (Trump now thinks are Argentinian) or anywhere else.
Okay dumbass, have a cuppa tea and find someone else who cares about your badly informed rant.
This is not a small army, its less than half a football crowd, thats not small it is insignificant, not enough bodies for ANY job. A recce vehicle with a limited number of units because the army only has a very limited number of men, still, when you want to recce you need to have some available – and its not just the tiny number of units that might want to take a look… by the time you take off numbers for battle damage, breakdown and maintenance there just arent enough.Same as there arent enough tanks, guns, artillery pieces, drones or in fact anything. Hell we deployed a fraction of the then (bigger than now) tiny army to Iraq and didnt even have enough body armour for those few troops. We are NOT prepared for war and with the USA starting them faster than a machine gun we are in a position where we may actually have to fight them to defend ourselves (we have oil and Trump wants oi;l) or Greenland, the Falklands (Trump now thinks are Argentinian) or anywhere else.
“A recce vehicle with a limited number of units because the army only has a very limited number of men,”
Purely regards Jackal, no, because the Light Cavalry Recc role is only required by certain force elements, therefore the vehicle is not widely issued.
You’d not want a Jackal acting as Armoured Cavalry, for example, that role goes to Ajax as it enters service.
Overall, yes, the Army is far too small, but we all know that. Your original comment was concerning Jackal E numbers, not the Army size as a whole.
Jackal and Jackal 2 number I believe around 431.
Jackal 3 was for 70, and the extra are the 53 Jackal 3E, and might possibly be used for a specific role beyond Light Recc, it is being looked at as a mortar towing vehicle.
Not all units require this and that is why there are not greater numbers. In the Army’s ORBAT, they are not necessary.
Problem is until recent times Russia was producing a hell of an amount of oil, gas and raw resourses it could sell very profitably abroad at great profit, you can have a far greater gdp but if it’s barely covering costs it can have less money to spend, not to mention the way Russia neglects most of its people to support just the powerful elite and European City middle class. Of course thanks to Ukraine that balance is very much failing and threat and propaganda inspired mindless nationalism is pretty much keeping things together at all these days.
We have raw materials as well but a civil service and government not willing to extract and use. Millions of tons o coal, lots of oil, not just north sea but on land, billions of cubic feet of gas which might involve cracking which the civil service has branded dangerous (total bullshit). We also had one of the world’s leading manufacturing economics which has been destroyed by excessively expensive as tight money supply as over priced energy (due to not wanting to use our own coal). But despite all of this we claim to have a bigger GDP than Russia, by quite an amount. True if course a lot of they is a lie built because e class ever increasing house prices as gdp.
Might buy one for the Dog run.