The company claims that the new medium wheelbase GLV, designed with reliability and higher availability of critical assets in mind, joins its long wheelbase sibling in the GLV lineup.
Built on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series platform, it combines Toyota’s off-road heritage with Babcock’s engineering capabilities.
The vehicle features a 2.8-litre engine producing 200bhp and 370lb/ft of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox. Babcock highlights its off-road capabilities, including a 39-degree approach angle, 276 mm ground clearance, a wading depth of up to 1.8 meters, and a 12.6-metre turning circle.
According to Babcock, the medium wheelbase GLV is expected to attract significant interest due to its versatility in military roles, serving as a command and control vehicle or a small team patrol vehicle. It features four individual crew seats and storage capacity for a four-person team on a 72-hour patrol to minimise crew fatigue on long missions.
Chris Spicer, Managing Director of Engineering and Systems Integration within Babcock’s Land business, stated, “This hugely reliable GLV family provides military and security forces with a complete value for money solution for light-utility vehicles, increasing the availability of these critical assets. Babcock has a deep understanding of the armed forces through years of partnering and that is applied to our engineering so we can offer militaries the best possible vehicle for operational success. We’re very proud to present the second of our GLV family in the last nine months.”
Babcock suggests that the medium wheelbase GLV offers enhanced mobility across difficult terrain due to its shorter wheelbase and tight turning circle. The vehicle also includes military-specific enhancements focused on crew safety and comfort.
Key points from Babcock’s release include:
- Shorter wheelbase for greater mobility in tough terrains
- Tight turning circle of 12.6 metres
- Four individual crew seats
- Storage for a four-person team’s 72-hour patrol requirements
So a land cruiser but will probably cost 3 times as much as a civvie one
Well that gold plating doesn’t come cheap and then they have to cover it so that it doesn’t reveal their position in bright sunlight.
So no metallic paint options? Gold plating doesn’t even include gold plating these days.
My error I thought there were options for Traditional, Old, Rose and White Gold, must be making cut backs after all.
Maybe gold plated but with vinyl wrap? 😆
But, Brom. It has four seats AND storage AND a less-powerful engine. Even the smaller 2.4 litre hybrid civvy engine develops 326 bhp and 465 ft-lb of torque.
The engine is the same as the civilian version with the same power output.
You get a choice of engines. I picked the latest 2024 i-Force max hybrid one. Babcock picked a 2015 diesel.
I suppose charging up overnight could be difficult out in the bush …”Excuse me Mr Taliban could I trouble you for the overnight use of your generate…I promise we will be quiet”….
True, but it’s hybrid, not EV. Use the battery in the bush for overnight power, charge it on the move if you let it go flat.
The biggest advantage to Babcock’s that I can see from the spec is the wading height, which Shepherd say is a mighty 1.8m as opposed to 0.7m on the standard civvy. It appears to have a higher clearance too. I’m sure there will be others. Leading with 4 seats and storage does it no favours.
Doesn’t work like that sadly. Unlike civilian vehicles you don’t really get to assume that you’ll do x amount of city driving followed by a fairly predictable and regular motorway jaunt.Instead you’ll probably be spending weeks at a time not going much about 20 because you’re on unmetalled roads, dirt tracks and in woodblocks.
Some Friday afternoon foolery. Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out how much difference milspec mods make for the money? Obviously both vehicles would have to be properly maintained, not relying on sending the civilain four by four to a plate-glass distributor once a year.
Four weeks at Milbrook, then Salisbury Plain and Svalbard, finally shipping them out to Belize or Brunei (or somewhere else hot and wet and beginning with B). Without more than basic mods, just how reliable would the notoriously reliable Land Cruiser be?
The US Army has a vehicle for a similar job.
Based on a pick up that costs 48k USD ( alloys, metalic paint AC, cup holders )
The milspeced version= 340KUSD. No alloys, green paint, no AC. Probably still has cup holders but its the green paint that costs.😂
One of the problems with both EV & hybrids, is you shouldn’t get the batteries wet. They have a tendency to catch fire (overheat). If you are going to put the vehicle through 1.8m of water, you better hope the battery compartment is still watertight. The 2015 diesel won’t care as long as the snorkel is above water.
It’s about torque in military mate
The mil spec land rovers cost a lot more than civvy ones!
Always the way!
Its the green paint. Thats the thing that always bumps up the price.
Question?
Does it fit inside a Chinook or Merlin?
The US Army has started getting a mil spec cut down pick up for the same sort of role as this. 330K USD for a modded pick up truck that you can buy for 50KUSD.
M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle – Wikipedia
2024 Colorado | Model Selection | Chevrolet
George Allison has an article in the Daily Telegraph: well worth a read.
Thanks Terence
I googled the DT and 29 excellent articles from George since October last year from wars and geopolitics to defence equipment
I was impressed by the depth and quality of them
As you say well worth a read (all of them)
What is so wrong with Landrovers? Those things go on for mile, after mile after mile…
Why not just go and buy them from Toyota?
In Australia it’s called a 76 series Landcruiser wagon and – along with its 78, 79 and 300 series brethren – often sells within the top 10 monthly sales charts. Also available – and preferably imho – with a 4.5 litre turbo diesel V8 and 5 speed manual box.