Thales Water Tanks and Fuel Tank for Hawkei – Advanced Design for All-Terrain Performance
The challenge
The Hawkei is a high-mobility, all-terrain vehicle requiring robust and lightweight storage solutions for water and fuel. Traditional metal tanks add weight and manufacturing costs, reducing vehicle efficiency.
A next-generation plastic-based solution was needed that would:
- Provide strong, impact-resistant tanks to withstand rugged conditions.
- Maximise storage capacity by utilising complex shapes within constrained vehicle layouts.
- Reduce overall vehicle weight for better mobility and fuel efficiency.
- Improve cost-efficiency by replacing expensive, heavy materials.
- Ensure product repeatability, allowing for efficient, scalable production.
The solution
Through a strategic collaboration with Thales, we developed high-strength plastic water and fuel tanks that:
- Utilise impact-resistant materials to endure extreme terrains and demanding military conditions.
- Maximise storage efficiency with innovative shapes and optimised geometry.
- Reduce vehicle weight, enhancing fuel efficiency and manoeuvrability.
- Improve cost-effectiveness by replacing traditional metal tanks with lightweight, corrosion-resistant alternatives.
- Ensure product repeatability with a manufacturing-friendly design, supporting scalable, high-volume production.
- Incorporate structural design techniques that add strength through curves and radius, ensuring rugged performance even in extreme conditions.
- Enable large-scale manufacturability through optimised rotational moulding, reducing complexity and production costs.
Works Undertaken
Design collaboration
Partnered with Thales engineers to reconfigure specifications for plastic-based manufacturing.
Mould pattern development
Created precise mould patterns, ensuring strength and durability.
Mould production
Manufactured high-quality moulds to ensure consistent and repeatable production.
Prototyping
Developed and tested prototypes for impact resistance, durability, and efficiency.
Off-tool samples
Conducted quality assessments on initial production runs to validate performance and reliability.
The result
This collaboration with Thales resulted in lightweight, impact-resistant, and space-efficient tanks, delivering enhanced performance, durability, and cost-efficiency for the Hawkei all-terrain vehicle.
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