This Combat-Ready Toyota Hilux Has Six Wheels And A Weapons Arsenal!

Meet the MUV - Medium Utility Vehicle - combat truck created by defence firm Supacat, which is based on the familiar Toyota Hilux 4x4 pick-up truck.

Without a doubt, the Toyota Hilux is a robust and highly trusted 4x4 pick-up truck nameplate favoured not just by the working man, but serious professionals too. Apart from this EV fire-specific firefighter we detailed prior, take this combat-ready rendition of Toyota’s do-it-all truck that recently debuted.

This is the creation of renowned British defence engineering firm Supacat, more specifically its Sydney, Australia-based manufacturing arm. Christened as the MUV, which is short for “Medium Utility Vehicle”, the firm has transformed the humble yet capable double-cab Hilux into something more menacing.

Notable here is the fact that the MUV, like the base Hilux pick-up truck in underpins, share the same purpose and mission at being a very cost-effective and reliable vehicle. In fact, Supacat says the MUV promises low running costs versus a traditional purpose-built combat truck equivalent.

Unlike the regular Hilux, this MUV redux features a 6x6 driveline, plus a host of additions to make that make it combat-capable, albeit on a much lower budget versus a purpose-built equivalent. (Image: CarScoops)

Based on the double-cab variant of the Toyota Hilux we’re all familiar with, Supacat’s MUV rendition also sees this humble pick-up truck rock an extra rear axle to enable a 6x6 driveline. This was meant to enhance payload capacity – now rated up to 3 tonnes – plus the ability to conquer and cross tougher terrains.

Supacat touts the MUV’s suitability for “off-road and littoral operations,” thus perhaps explaining the added snorkel for the front-mounted 2.8-litre turbo-diesel powertrain plus the meaty off-road bumpers. Of course, that’s not all this combat-ready Hilux, now reengineered as a truck with a 6,500 KG gross mass, has in store.

Other additions include a rugged bull bar up front, extra LEDs complementing the stock halogen headlamps, metal side steps, GPS antenna, military-approved camouflage, as well as a custom rear bed with ample space and military style modular shelves and racks – arguably putting the ‘M’ in ‘MUV’ here.

The MUV was intentionally engineered with high modularity, thus making it extremely versatile for military use.

Critically, said modularity can be easily reconfigured and updated when new defence and weapons tech become available. Being based on a popular civilian and commercial vehicle product also somewhat guarantees parts availability and high serviceability for regional defence forces and operators alike.

Regarding the latter, Supacat elected to prioritise affordability further by utilising as many commercial off-the-shelf components as possible when building the MUV. In other words, the MUV can be easily fixed or maintained by both military and non-military mechanics alike.

Notably, this Hilux-based MUV can also be fitted with a variety of modular military weapons system.

However, don’t let the ‘Utility’ bit in its name fool you as the MUV can pack a deadly punch. Supacat naturally didn’t go into specifics here but, typical of vehicles as such, a variety of weapon systems can easily be fitted, including a large-calibre machine gun system as pictured.

As for its actual unit price, this remains undisclosed, though we reckon this combat-ready iteration would certain costs much more than the regular Hilux it’s based on. For reference, UMW Toyota Motor currently retails refreshed double-cab variants of the Hilux priced from RM117,880 onwards…