The Italian Army and the Austrian government have each ordered INEOS Grenadiers, the first time the vehicle has been bought by sovereign armed forces, according to INEOS Automotive.
Italy becomes the first NATO country to place a sizeable military order, with deliveries due to start early in 2027 through ATflow, the company’s regional distributor. The Austrian order went through a tender won by Valentin Tusch GmbH, a vehicle armouring and conversion specialist, which will supply Austrian defence and interior security forces with Grenadiers adapted for enhanced protection. First deliveries and trials there begin by the end of this year.
Mike Whittington, chief commercial officer at INEOS Automotive, said: “In a world where geopolitical tensions are rising, military forces are bolstering their capabilities and resilience, they need the best, modern equipment available. As a robust and highly capable vehicle, this is what the Grenadier was built for, to unremittingly serve armed forces in mission-critical roles.”
Neither contract value has been disclosed, and the company has not said how many vehicles either order covers.
The British interest in all this comes in the next line of the announcement. INEOS says it is in advanced procurement discussions with other European and NATO armed forces, including through the Team Grenadier consortium, which has been selected to go forward to the trials stage of the Ministry of Defence’s Light Mobility Vehicle programme. That competition will replace the British Army’s Land Rover fleet, is expected to be worth around £2 billion before VAT and could cover more than 9,500 vehicles.
Team Grenadier will be up against at least one other trials contender, since Babcock International has also been shortlisted with the General Logistics Vehicle, a family based on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series and supported by Supacat in Devon.
The Grenadier has a particular resonance in the British debate about the Land Rover replacement. Sir Jim Ratcliffe commissioned it after trying and failing to buy the tooling for the old Defender from Jaguar Land Rover, and the vehicle is assembled at Hambach in France in a plant bought from Mercedes-Benz, having originally been intended for production in Wales. The sovereignty argument that both bidders are now making therefore cuts in different directions depending on which part of the supply chain is counted.
The Grenadier is already used by police forces, border patrols, special forces and emergency rescue services in a number of countries, though those are mostly smaller fleet purchases rather than army orders of the kind announced in Rome and Vienna.
Interesting but without actual numbers or contract value, a little bit suspect.
Italian order is 350 to replace Defenders(Wolf 90).
A number that was listed but then taken down. Very odd. Anyhoo, not a huge order but significant.
A strong contender, however, Land Rover will be a difficult political issue if the UK misses out on a brand of such distinction and long history with the British forces. Okay, the bulk of the bodywork will come from another country but all additional equipment will be assembled here in the UK. Another strong argument is the engine, which will be built in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, meaning employment and a vote-winner.
It’s mental that we are even having a discussion on it. JLR is the last UK manufacturer standing in the vehicle segment and it produces the worlds best sports utility vehicle that won the Dakar rally. This competition is Britains only hope for a UK product in the military that can be a world beater.
The competition is a long list of foreign made cars trying to claim to be British because they stuck a flag on the bumper and called it UK modified.
Supacat in particularly should be ashamed, I had higher expectations from them.
No doubt a bunch of generals and civil servants are currently engaged in a number of lunches with the US defence contractors submitting designs.
The UK should pass a law banning companies like Ineos and P&O from trying to claim foreign made ships and vehicles are British and unveiling them with union jacks painted on them.
HMG should trade mark the brand.
Worst of all I’m about to get a flood of comments from people on here that can’t afford to drive a JLR product tell me how bad it is and how amazing a Land Cruiser is because they watched a documentary in 1993 about Australian miners🤦♂️
My last three vehicles have all been JLR and they are amazing and my previous three were Toyota (not Land Cruiser) and they were very mediocre.
Defender is built in Slovakia, its not British either. And its a pile of crap and certainly not up to standard for a military vehicle. Its just a Chelsea tractor for the school run. Not even built on a ladder frame anymore. Shite.
Spoken like a man who can’t afford one 😂
You can always tell someone who tries to sell ignorance and bigotry as actual informed knowledge in the laziest of fashion with not a shred of evidence to back up their parrot like insults. How very British…or mischievous foreign bot take your pick.
New Defenders are crap – try and tow heavy loads with them and the body shells warp.
The D7X-R version used in the Dakar rally is highly modified and uses a BMW 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine.
The military version won’t be the same.
LMV requirements are for Diesel engines.
So if JLR gets chosen for this contract, let’s hope the 6-cylinder version of the Ingenium engine is used and not the problematic 2.0 version
Jim, this is a political issue first and foremost, and as I mentioned, Wolverhampton looms large in this selection. Whatever party is in power, vote protection is key and it could be the engine that wins it for LR. However, the Army’s Defenders are very basic, from poor NVH to prehistoric electronics, and that’s why armies across the world love and trust them. I’ve no doubt the companies vying for this business can meet the hard standards required in all areas but electronic dependability will be a key factor if they want to satisfy hard-nosed selectors.
I agree as a previous owner of an AlfaSud I can well understand the importance of reliable electronics. Great performer, terrible to own.
Info on the New defender, it’s got lots of engine and electrical issues, it built in Slovakia, it needs an electrical engineer to fix it current fleet just a spanner and a few bits and pieces. So I don’t think we should put our soldiers at risk for a Rule Brittania, it should be the Best Kit we can give them
I couldn’t care less where it’s built – If it’s the best for the job, then it should win. Defence Procurement shouldn’t be treated like its an industrial/jobs strategy first, and actual capability as some kind of accidental bonus on the side.
If it’s a tie-break, then sure, pick the UK made one, but if a UK manufacturer can’t win on merit, they don’t deserve to get the contract, and we shoudn’t put peoples lives in danger for the sake of a domestic jobs deal.
Ajax appears not to function unless it gets a foot massage from a PHd, and a new set of scented candles every ten miles. In reality we need vehicles that can work while maintained by exhausted squaddies, in a ditch, with nothing but a hammer. I worry that Defender is in the same class.
… and yet one is foreign built and one foreign origin and foreign company, so never clear cut is it.
Interestingly Supercat produce an army utility vehicle, the LMV with great flexibility and modularity. Did they never propose this or a development thereof for this contract, or is it ‘too light’ for this ‘light’ requirement.
Thought I would check up on Grenadier as I only know a few basics, quite an interesting story isn’t it. Interesting future developments planned. The electric version will be engineered and built by the very same respected Austrian Steyr factory that built the I-Pace, which despite that fact couldn’t escape the prejudice in reliability aimed at Jaguar which shows the complexity in judging reliability presumptively on brand alone. I presume the Grenadier will escape that presumption after all it’s named after a uk pub, when its turn comes. Which raises the question how reliable has the vehicle been? I thought upon reading this story it surprising that Austria was buying them over German alternatives, but as Steyr has effectively engineered the vehicle from the start, it’s no surprise politically that Austria and indeed Italy (across the border) would select it I guess. The fuel cell version sounds interesting and again not surprising considering INEOS generates large amounts of hydrogen.
I wonder if its chances of getting a uk contract will be influenced by whether or not it compensated the Welsh Govt for the millions it spent in support of its Bridgend factory that never was. Will a Labour Govt forgive them for not doing so? I doubt slagging off Burnham will have helped. Aah the complications of ‘international’ politics.
Where is the Defender manufactured ? Slovakia.
Indian owned, made in Slovakia with BMW engines.
I’m confused now, I thought someone said the engines were unreliable. Talk about swings and roundabouts. Are these the same BMW engines used in the Grenadier? 🤭
The JLR diesel ingenium 2.0 engines are unreliable.
BMW petrol engines are the better option.
As a formerly loyal LandRover owner with a history of
1 No Discovery I
1 No Discovery II
2 No L322
2 No Discovery4
I wouldn’t touch a new one with a very long barge pole. I say that having driven some of the newer ones on the proving ground. Going downhill the hybrids constantly cut out on steep slopes – yes really.
They have zero idea of how to build a reliable vehicle – which is a shame as the ~2013 Discovery4’s were amazingly reliable.
They need to simplify the vehicles to match their engineering competencies.
I had two L322s, both excellent to drive, terrible reliability both mechanically and electrically. Best option would be a new Wolf with a purely mechanical Mercedes OM606 engine.
The 54 plate 6 cylinder diesel L322 I had was totally reliable and went on for another 10 years after I sold it. Although it was the MOST system and it required the odd reset of the infotainment system.
The 59 plate TDV8 that I had was mechanically fine but the software was a mess and the fuel gauge sensors were a joke that were never properly fixed. I really preferred the Discovery4 to the L322 as it was quieter; more fuel efficient; better driving position; better load carrying; better towing and the kids loved it.
Currently on my third Land Rover Jim and 30 years of LR motoring….
This is great news for France where all Grenidiers are made,
Got to love the end Brexiters of James Dyson and Jim Radcliffe that did everything they could to offshore manufacturing from the UK after Brexit.
But I’m sure Ineos will be along shortly to slap a Union Jack on the vehicle and tell us how British it is.
Just as I’m sure all the racists on here will be along shortly to tell me how Jaguar Landrover is an Indian company becuase it shareholder is based in Indian. So by the logic Ineos is a Monaco based company. 😂
Jim why would anyone be termed a racist for pointing out that Jaguar is an owned subsidiary by TATA since 2008. Where’s the racism in that? That term is thrown about by people far too much when not at all necessary. Thanks.
There is of course (quite complex at times) nuance. I mean is Boston Dynamics a South Korean company? In the end Grenadier has no real connection to Britain other than building a vehicle that copied the platform’s general design and set up and deliberately made to look like a Defender, thus the Court case, but that’s another story. Engineered in Austria by a Canadian owned company, built in France (formally bodywork planned for Portugal) in a once German owned factory by a guy who claimed Britain would be better off separated from all those Countries he prefers to work, invest and live in.
By the way Mercedes has a substantial part ownership by China these days which is why Trump is threatening to ban their imports, but few would see it as remotely Chinese. One does have to laugh at the complex mix and match of it all.
As above the new Defender is built in Slovakia!!!
Offcourse the Slovakian built defender is not being entered into the LMV contest though is it?
Actually the defender you are referring to is also not being entered into the contest either.
The vehicle being entered is the defender wolf II series, suggest you read up on the actual submission before sharing.
Of course it is. It’ll be built in Slovakia and tarted up in Britain. The Defender is catagorically not being built in Britain and they aren’t going move it.
Thank goodness it wont win anyway. Its by far the worst vehicle in the competion.
Another fount of all knowledge based on the British habit of self flagellation more than actual objective research and knowledge. We truly are our own worst enemies at times. As I say the same bias was applied to the I-pace despite the fact it was engineered and in its case built by the same company that engineered the Grenadier and will build its electric version. Strange how apparently only British branded products it engineered or built on its production lines are considered ‘unreliable’ or rubbish. Or maybe in many cases at least it’s just lazy ignorance and historical prejudice.
Are these racists in the room with you right now?
Are they drinking a pint of real ale in a country pub, with a black labrodor at their feet?
Are you on your own, or can you call out to your carers, or would you like us to alert your allocated emergency psychologist ?
It’s an excellent vehicle – the Land Rover Land Rover were too lazy to develop.
Interesting. Having looked into it the Grenadier seems to be the more suitable vehicle and ironically more like the original JLR Wolf. The Wolf II is a very capable vehicle, however it seems to be a civilian vehicle converted for military use. Fixing it in the field might be difficult given how complex it is. It pains me but I’d not go with the Defender. Sorry.
Great news for Ineos. Far better vehicle than the new Defender. The new Defender is total crap.
For all of you harping on about the JLR Defender I will refer you BFBS YouTube channel they have done 10/15 mins on it!
It did not look soldier proof at all,it is still packed with computer driven systems that even the rep driving the thing said would need to go back to a main dealer to be fixed and even vehicle servicing was to be covered by JLR! Civvy vehicle excellent but Army???
They cover the Grenadier as well.
And you know most of this “back to a main dealer to be reflashed” is absolute rubbish. That is tech support not understanding how their own vehicles work.
And I’ll say that as a contributor to the RAVE manual – yup two of my field fixes are in there for the MOST L322s.
You just need to understand how the thing works and force selective reboots. Most JLR faults aren’t really what anyone would call faults but a product of the various ECU hardware/firmware combos rubbing up against each other badly. OK some of the engines and transmission issues are very real and very mechanical.
I can attest to not having a lot of fun on the M4, when the gearbox of my new L322 locked up. New undies needed after!
Was that the famous front diff that required an ‘enhancement’ to avoid a full L322 recall?
The one that shredded itself after a while and either caused a lock up of the front wheels or left you with zero motive power and no handbrake!
No, hydraulic pump failure in the main gearbox whilst over taking another car. 300m figure 11 left on the road, so I was travelling about 70ish! With a wombles help, we managed to coax it in to neutral and push it on to the hard shoulder. Luckily the womble was not that far behind when it happened. So the traffic was only delayed for half an hour. But being stuck immobile in the 2nd lane was not a great feeling. First was the V6 diesel, that then got replaced with the V8 diesel, which had the M4 incident. Engine was awesome and I used to be able to get similar fuel figures to the V6. Managed to swap out the V6 for the newer V8, before needing the dreaded timing belt replacement. A mate has 3L BMW converted 120 Defender, which pulls like a train and is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I think most manufacturers have lost the plot when it comes to designing robust, off-road basic vehicles.
They have been stuck in the SUV mindset for too long, and now it’s like they have to modify and adapt over engineered civiian cars to suit austere battlefield conditions
This is where the Grenadier stands out.
I know nothing about Grenadiers but having had a Defender it would be crackers to use it even as a utility vehicle for the military. You can strip all the Chelsea Tractor rubbish out of it but not the computer control systems and all the other nonsense that goes wrong just for fun it seems. Best off building replica proper Defenders or those old Toyotas everyone is tearing around Yemen in. Not sure how HMG would get around the fact that cuddly Jim opted for an old Renault factory over the Welsh valleys. Like everything else I guess some load of old tosh will be dreamt up to pretend the successor is British whatever it is when the truth is painting them green will be the most complex thing done in the UK.
Grenadier is built in France
After-market militarisation really lowers the bar here.
The vehicles that are best militarily speaking are the ones that are built with military function in-mind from the very start.
The commercial vehicles that are designed to be customised afterwards are inherently less secure than their competitors.
Still if you are given a vehicle that you /have/ to work with, then after-market militarisation may be the only option remaining. Commercial vehicles are also 10 a penny so perhaps the MoD are more concerned about mass and tooling. The treasury also like money.
I would stipulate that the winning vehicle ( whoever it is) needs to be fully assembled and supported, upgraded and repaired in the UK, while I’m not a fan of increasing the cost, in this case the volume required by the MoD certainly justifies it.
I would furthermore say that all foreign sales of said vehicle should come from the UK site. Creating and supporting UK jobs.
Late entrant. Ford Ranger bid for European standard – Dagenham resurrected – engines and assembly – large volumes, low cost, UK jobs – militarised for the UK in South Wales. Worth a small bet?
Im betting Babcock/Toyota take the prize.
At the end of the day, the bean counters will decide what is bought – nothing anyone has said here will have any impact whatsoever on what is decided, so whilst it might make you feel better, the MOD will do whatever it decides is best VFM, reliability and troop safety will be further down the pecking order.
It’s called a discussion👍nobody has slagged off any of the entrants just talking between ourselves and sharing what info we have picked up.
As for the bean counters as they have just ‘saved’ £800m by cancelling the essential housing works for our troops don’t bet your house on any substantial order for anything😡
I appreciate that Jacko, I just think that quite often on these threads, some are hoping/expecting their comments to have an impact on the outcome whereas we all know that the guys in Whitehall will make the decision based more on cost than capability and therefore trying to make reason is a forlorn waste of time.
So Boxer & Ajax selectd based on VFM??? Seems doubtful.
Well they definitely weren’t based on capability
The selection process is a balancing act between competing government priorities.
The Army prioritises off-road mobility and simple field repairs.
Treasury focuses on flat, predictable cost models to avoid another high-profile budget overrun.
Cabinet Ministers evaluate the final contract based on domestic jobs and regional investment.
(obviously) The winning team will not necessarily be the one with the best truck, but the one that aligns most effectively with the prevailing political and financial priorities within Whitehall when the contract is awarded.
The MoD’s frustration over Ajax has fundamentally changed how they evaluate risk. Instead of disqualifying GDLS, it has created a preference for COTS platforms. If Treasury decides that a mass market commercial vehicle offers the most stable budget model, then only the Ford Ranger/Ricardo/GDLS or the Babcock/Toyota/Supcat proposals are the only leading candidates to secure the contract.
Whitehall haven’t picked a winner yet, but they have successfully set the competitions composition …
If they want a boring, safe, low-cost, political win that protects Welsh and London factory jobs, the Ford/GLDS deal is mathematically designed to win.
If they want an indestructible, frontline military workhorse backed by immense UK engineering prosperity, then the Babcock/Toyota deal is built to take the prize.
“The MoD’s frustration over Ajax has fundamentally changed how they evaluate risk. Instead of disqualifying GDLS, it has created a preference for COTS platforms”
Nonsense. Industry chose the entrants, not the MoD.