Two family-run British engineering firms have formed a joint venture to manufacture composite vehicle bodies in Tamworth, positioning themselves ahead of the British Army’s Land Mobility Vehicle competition, according to the companies.
North Strong brings together North Defence, the light mobility vehicle specialist founded by the former Royal Engineer Oliver North, and Strongs Plastic Products, the Midlands polymer engineering company founded in 1978 by the late Barry Strong and now run by his son James. The two have worked alongside each other since 2023, and the venture is incorporated at Companies House as North Strong Defence Limited.
The Tamworth facility will build North Defence’s co-polymer vehicle bodies, the component the company describes as central to the performance, survivability and adaptability of its platforms.
Oliver North, chief executive of North Defence, said: “This is about delivering real, sovereign capability, not just intent.
“For years, we’ve evolved our vehicles at a pace traditional primes struggle to match, because our model allows us to respond immediately to changing battlefield demands. North Strong now gives us the ability to scale that agility, rapidly, reliably, and here in the UK, across multiple platforms. It proves we’re a key industrial partner within the LMV ecosystem and it ensures we’re ready to deliver when the Army needs it most.”
James Strong, managing director of Strongs, said: “This is a golden opportunity for us to take what we have learned over the decades, to better help and support UK and NATO forces in these troubled times. Strongs has always prided itself on innovation in the use of polymers and we see this as another opportunity to develop and grow our capabilities in a new market sector with the help of North Defence.”
The announcement lands alongside the North Defence LMV MKIII, which the company says can be built on Toyota, Ford, INEOS Grenadier and Mercedes-Benz base chassis, all using the same North Strong body. Decoupling the military capability from a single original equipment manufacturer is the pitch, and the company argues it brings faster procurement cycles, greater supply chain resilience and more flexibility across operating environments.
The Land Mobility Vehicle programme is the Army’s effort to replace the ageing Land Rover-derived fleet that has carried infantry, engineers and support units for decades, and it has drawn a competitive field.
