Seven bidders shortlisted in contest to replace Army's Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets

Seven companies and consortia have made it through to the next phase of the competition to replace the British Army's Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicle fleets.

The winner of the Light Mobility Vehicle programme will initially cover a variety of roles including General Purpose Vehicle, Tactical Mobility Vehicle, Battlefield Ambulance, Enhanced Protection Vehicle and Utility Vehicles.

Following the publication of the tender notice in July, a Procurement Specific Questionnaire garnered a response from 14 potential suppliers.

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Fourteen down to seven

Seven of these successfully met the requirements to progress to the next stage, which incorporates the formal Invitation to Tender and Evaluation Trials.

The potential suppliers, and the base vehicle platforms on which their supply proposals are based, are:

:: Babcock International Group (Toyota)

:: General Dynamics Land Systems UK (Ford)

:: Ineos Automotive (Ineos Automotive)

:: Iturri SA (Stellantis)

:: Jaguar Land Rover (Jaguar Land Rover)

:: NP Aerospace Limited (General Motors)

:: Rheinmetall Defence UK (Mercedes)

While the Pinzgauer is far less well known than the Landy, it has seen service in the Army with the likes of 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Royal Artillery.

The Pinzgauer, which was available in 4x4 and 6x6 format, was originally designed by Austrian firm Steyr-Daimler-Puch, but later vehicles were produced in the UK by BAE Systems.

Its current planned out-of-service date is 2030.

Testing times ahead

An initial tranche of around 3,000 vehicles will be procured, with the ability to increase the fleet to more than 9,500.

The procurement will cover vehicle supply, training and support solutions for the fleet as well as options to extend the contract by up to 11 years beyond the initial nine-year term.

Vehicle deliveries are anticipated to start from 2027.

Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard said: "The competition to replace Land Rover and Pinzgauer will give our forces a superb modern vehicle.

"It also shows how the Government is speeding up procurement – retiring old equipment, speeding up procurement and giving our forces the latest kit."

The National Armaments Director Group said the PSQ evaluation had been conducted through a rigorous, evidence-based process, incorporating multiple stages of assessment.

The ITT phase will run alongside assessment trials on 21 vehicles, where each bidder will bring three variants to prove they are capable of delivering what the Army needs.