The Mildef Tarantula HMAV is a

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n 4×4

V-hull The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs), infantry mobility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and MRAPs. The design originated in the 1970s with vehicles such as the Casspir used ...

mine-resistant

infantry mobility vehicle An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV) is a four-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) serving as an armed military transport, military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Those IMVs are distinct from 8-, 6-, and 4-wheeled APCs (su ...

that provides high-level protection against a variety of battlefield threats such as mines and

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

s. The vehicle was designed and manufactured by

Mildef International Technologies Mildef International Technologies, doing business as Mildef (formerly ''Kembara Suci Sdn. Bhd.''), is a Malaysian private company established in 2005. Its main business is related to the defense sector especially in land vehicle. This involved t ...

alongside the Science Technology Research Institute for Defense (STRIDE) and the Malaysian Armed Forces. It was launched on 11 February 2021. The vehicle was developed as a wheeled armoured personnel carrier with mine-resistance capability and good agility on the battlefield. It was developed to reduce dependence on foreign-made armored vehicles.

History

The vehicle's development, which cost RM16 million over four years, by a team of eight engineers and more than 100

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

staff was part of an initiative by the ministry to develop domestic arms production capability. First revealed by

on 21 February 2021, the vehicle was named Tarantula on 2 April that year. The development of the vehicle was assisted by the Science Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) of the Ministry of Defence. In the Defence Security Asia 2022 exhibition, Mildef unveiled the Tarantula in an armoured personnel carrier configuration. On August 8, 2023, it was reported by

Jane's Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred ...

that Mildef would supply 178 Tarantulas to the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 ...

, with deliveries to begin in 2024. However, no deliveries were ultimately made. In the Defence Security Asia 2024 exhibition, Mildef unveiled a second prototype modified to meet the requirements of the Malaysian Army. In Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace 2025 exhibition, Malaysia has announced that it has selected 136 units of Tarantula as its new armoured vehicle.

Design

The Tarantula measures 5.6 metres in length, 2.5 metres in width, and 2.5 metres in height. The first prototype weighed 13.2 tonnes, and was powered by a

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

diesel engine producing 330hp, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 24hp/ton, and a maximum speed of 110km/h. The second prototype reportedly featured a Caterpillar engine that produced 340hp and allowed it to achieve a maximum speed of 120km/h. The initial prototype featured a

12.7mm This is a list of firearm cartridge (weaponry), cartridges which have bullets in the to range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge casing (ammunition), case length. *''OAL'' refers to the overall length of the cartridge. *''Bullet'' refers to ...

remote controlled weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), remotely operated weapon system (ROWS), or remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated light or medium-caliber weapon system, often equipped with a fire-control system, that can be installed on a ...

(RCWS) and smoke grenade dischargers. The Tarantula's second prototype featured a dual

7.62mm The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the equivalent in Imperial and United States Customary measures. It is most com ...

and 12.7mm RCWS configuration. According to Mildef CEO Datuk Seri Mohd Nizam Kasa, the construction of the Tarantula consists of 70% local content (chassis, body, and engine system) and 30% (axle, six-speed transmission and engine) foreign content.

Operators

Current operators

*: 2 units prototypes for testing. Tarantula selected with 136 units being acquired.

Future operators

* : In October 2023, East Timor has expressed interest to buy the Mildef Tarantula HMAV.

Failed contracts

* : In September 2024, it was reported that the Tarantula was offered as part of a Philippine Marine Corps contract. KMPV from KOVICO was selected instead.

References

External links

HMAV on Mildef website
{{MRAP vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Military vehicles of Malaysia Armoured fighting vehicles of Malaysia Military vehicles introduced in the 2020s Wheeled armoured personnel carriers Armoured personnel carriers of the post–Cold War period