Land Rover replacement program launched by the British Army after 76 years of service

The end of Land Rover, one of the British Army's most iconic vehicles, could be in sight as the Ministry of Defense calls for a successor in the industry. The British Army's Land Rover fleet is now much smaller than it was in its Cold War heyday, but it remains one of the most recognizable military vehicles anywhere in the world, with a design inspired by the World War II Willys Jeep that dominates the 4×4, off-road capable segment.

A Weapon Mounting Kit (WMIK) Land Rover of the Queen's Royal Lancers (QRL) on a desert patrol towards the Iranian border during the Iraq War. crown copyright

The UK Ministry of Defense today issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the British Army's Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV), kicking off the procurement process for the vehicles that will replace the last Land Rovers and Pinzgauers. It is a highly mobile all-terrain utility vehicle designed in Austria. Both vehicles are scheduled to be withdrawn by 2030.

RFIs issued during the early stages of a program essentially serve as a gauge of industry interest.

It's unclear how many LMVs the MoD intends to buy, but the MoD says the British Army will have a total of 7,837 Land Rovers and Pinzgauers in 2022, which gives some idea of ​​the scale of the requirement. .

The 6×6 Pinzgauer will be used to tow one of the British Army Watchkeeper unmanned aerial systems before launch from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Crown Copyright Cpl 'Matty' Matthews

Based on the RFI, the Department of Defense is seeking details on production, supply, in-service support and training for future LMVs, wheeled utility platforms that are part of the broader Land Mobility Program (LMP). The possibility of off-the-shelf (OTS) solutions is preferred to enable proven designs to be applied quickly without significant investments in development.

Meanwhile, the broader LMP effort seeks to radically rationalize the British Army's combat vehicle fleet, reducing the number of types of protected patrol and light utility vehicles in service from more than a dozen currently in service to just three.

These three new vehicle types will be procured under separate strands of the LMP. namely, Medium Protected Mobility Vehicles weighing less than 20 tons, Light Protected Mobility (LPM) weighing less than 10 tons and the aforementioned Light Mobility Vehicles weighing less than 3 tons. -Half a ton.

A soldier from 3 Para is cleaning a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on a WIMIK Land Rover in the Taliban stronghold city of Nowzad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. crown copyright

In each case, the Department of Defense wants to select a design that complies with the General Vehicle Architecture (GVA) standard, a baseline that enables continuous spiral development throughout the service life of the vehicle. Other requirements include compliance with the Land Industrial Strategy, which requires at least 60% of the work share to be covered by UK industry.

Last fall, the Department of Defense said it wanted to begin the land mobility program bidding process by November 2025 and then select the selected platform by October 2026. The so-called minimum deployable capability is expected no later than 2029. .

A Royal Marines WMIK Land Rover advances on a convoy, providing escort protection between Camp Bastion and Kandahar Airport during operations in Afghanistan. crown copyright

It has already been decided that the Light Mobility Vehicle will lead the requirements process, but it is expected that the Light Protected Mobility Vehicle program will soon follow.

The LMV has been described in the past as an unprotected or lightly protected tactical vehicle. Beyond this, there are likely to be a wide range of platforms to choose from, although few specific requirements have been publicly discussed, and the 4×4 light military vehicle market is very crowded.

Designs previously proposed as suitable for the British Army's LMP include Thales' Hawkei and Bushmaster, Babcocks' General Logistics Vehicle, and GM's Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle. etc.

Thales promotional video showing the 1,000th Hokay, a vehicle that could replace the British Army's Land Rover:

Land mobility programs in general, and light mobility vehicles in particular, come with many risks. Various previous efforts to procure new vehicles in this class ended in failure.

Notably, there is also the fact that the Light Mobility Vehicle seeks to replace a vehicle that has been essentially irreplaceable in the British Armed Forces for over 75 years.

The British Army received its first Series 1 Land Rover in 1949, just a year after the design was first unveiled, and the vehicle was successively improved over the years, reflecting service experience, including several overseas combat engagements.

Suez Crisis, 1956: A British military convoy containing Series 1 Land Rovers stands on alert for snipers while driving through the streets of Port Said, Egypt. Photo: NCJ – Kemsley/NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix via Getty Images Mirrorpix

The Land Rover line underwent several major overhauls in the 1980s, resulting in the Land Rover 90 and 110, better known as Land Rover Defenders. The first of these entered service with the British Army in 1985.

A British Land Rover Defender patrols during Operation Palliser, the British military intervention in Sierra Leone in 2000. crown copyright

Next is Defender Wolf, which entered service in 1997. This was actually a completely new design and was also known by its official names Truck Utility Light High Spec/Truck Utility Medium High Spec. Close to 8,000 Defender Wolf vehicles were purchased in short and long wheelbase versions.

A Land Rover of the Royal Air Force Regiment equipped with a Weapon Mounting Installation Kit (WMIK) patrols near Basra Air Base, Iraq. crown copyright

It became a signature vehicle of the post-Cold War wars in which the British military participated, spawning at least 65 different variants, including some modified for special forces use. Along the way, the vehicle was further modified, including the addition of a strengthened suspension, more powerful brakes, and weapons mounts that could accommodate machine guns and automatic grenade launchers.

Other important variants of the British Army Land Rover include the battlefield ambulance, which can accommodate up to four stretchers or six casualties. Like other Land Rovers, this vehicle can travel through the air and has limited amphibious capabilities, allowing it to travel through water.

British Army Land Rover battlefield ambulance. crown copyright

However, experience from the counterinsurgency war that dominated British military operations during the first decade of the 21st century showed that even when provided with additional armor, Land Rovers were generally too poorly protected to withstand threats such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Deployed as a roadside bomb. Land Rovers were steadily withdrawn from the British Army in favor of vehicles with better protection, such as the Force Protection Ocelot, known as the Foxhound. The Foxhound is a wheeled infantry transport vehicle featuring a V-shaped hull typical of mine-resistant vehicles.

British Army Foxhounds at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area (DPTA) in Poland for training Resolute Defender 2024. crown copyright

However, the UK continues to invest in Land Rover to maintain the vehicle's viability until its final withdrawal in 2030.

Last September, a $71 million (approximately $86 million) contract was signed with Land Rover to provide spare parts and post-engineering services for the Pinzgauer and associated trailers.

What made the Land Rover so long available to the British military was its simplicity, sturdiness and, especially, its ease of repair in the field. However, more recently it has been used primarily in a secondary role, in a support and training capacity rather than on the battlefield.

Soldiers of the Royal Yeomanry training in a Land Rover configured with RWMIK at Bramley Training Area in Hampshire, England. crown copyright

Major Donald Urquhart of 154th (Scots) Regiment Royal Quartermaster Corps told Forces News in 2023 that they are used in a liaison role with communications vehicles, transport vehicles and more.

It is now widely used in training roles for deployment and operations. In operations we typically try to use armored vehicles, so these are usually training platforms that carry radios and command posts.

Urquhart adds that the old-fashioned nature of the design also gives it one of its biggest advantages.

Because these vehicles have no electronics, they are still very successful. The lack of electronic controls makes repairs very simple, and this is probably its biggest advantage.

The successor to the British Army Land Rover will almost certainly be more complex but offer better levels of protection. That means you can go back to working in more hazardous environments.

Whichever vehicle you choose, it is unlikely that it will be able to match the lifespan of the Land Rover, which will see 81 years of service in the British Army if it enters service in 2030 as currently planned.

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