The British Army Land Mobility Programme

The UK Ministry of Defence’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) is a major strategic initiative to modernise and streamline the British Army’s fleet of land vehicles.

The project looks to replace over a dozen legacy vehicle types with new, more capable platforms while drastically cutting the current 16 vehicle types to about five designs.

More specifically, the LMP aims to deliver modern, digitally enabled, and adaptable utility and protected mobility vehicles for the British Army and Joint Force. The programme is structured around three main vehicle classes: Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV), Light Protected Mobility (LPM), and Medium Protected Mobility (MPM).

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The LMV seeks to replace the legacy Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicles, which are due to be retired by 2030. The LPM aims to provide vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of up to 10,000 kg, whereas the MPM is designed to replace legacy platforms such as the Mastiff, Ridgeback, and Wolfhound, with an Initial Operational Capability slated for between 2029 and 2030. The aim is to acquire around 500 heavy, 2,000 medium, 2,500 light, and 3,000 utility vehicles to meet the British army’s needs.

The initial invitations for the LMP programme began with a Prior Information Notice (PIN) issued in September 2024, which was followed by a Request for Information (RFI) in January 2025. The formal tendering process is currently expected to occur in late 2025 or 2026. The budget for the LMP is £2.2 billion over its first ten years.

Hardly surprisingly, given the scope and budget of the project, a large number of defence industry players have noted their intention to compete for the various categories. Space precludes giving the full list of interested parties here, but they include such well-known multinational corporations as Supacat, General Dynamics UK, Babcock International, and KNDS, among others. Most of these have entered alliances to fulfil the requirements, such as the recently announced ‘Team Lion’ comprising BAE Systems, GM Defense, and NP Aerospace.

Focusing on the potential candidates for the MPM requirement gives a taste of what might be on offer. The Turkish company Nurol Makina has established a manufacturing base in the UK to position itself for a bid, which might be based on its adaptable 4 x 4 series. Finnish company Patria is likely to offer a vehicle based on its 6 x 6 troop carrier model, while German conglomerate KNDS will be pushing its Dingo series as a real contender.

Let’s have a closer look at KNDS’ Dingo as it gives a good illustration of what the MPM version could look like. Initially introduced into service with the Bundeswehr in 1999, Dingo has seen operational service in Afghanistan, Maili, and Ukraine, with 1,200 vehicles in service with ten user nations including Austria, Czech Republic, Norway, Belgium, and of course Germany.

The original Dingo 1 model has benefitted from continuous improvement and development, and the current Dingo 3 iteration is in contention for the UK LMP MFP solution.

The Dingo 3 in its 6×6 configuration claims to be the best protected vehicle in the under 20 tonne class, able to resist small calibre rounds, artillery shrapnel, IED and mine blasts, and chemical, radiological, and nuclear contamination as one would expect.

It also boasts first-class mobility, with the chassis provided by Mercedes-Benz in its famous, tried and tested, and upgraded Unimog configuration. This configuration features independent suspension on all wheel stations, run-flat tyres, and a central tyre inflation system adaptable for all terrain and ground conditions.  The Unimog has been in production since 1949, and over 375,000 units have been manufactured so far. Using a commercial off-the-shelf chassis for Dingo clearly simplifies operations, training, and logistic support.

Perhaps Dingo’s most exciting feature, though, is its adaptability. Of modular construction, the basis chassis can be configured for a wide variety of uses, including troop carrying, ambulance, and command post versions, among others. Although the exact British requirements are unclear, the platform will be able to cover most of the bases.

KNDS has indicated that a British army order for Dingo would facilitate the establishment in the UK of a similar manufacturing solution already in place for the local production of Boxer. Such a facility would not only produce vehicles for the UK order but also for other export customers, and bring roughly 1,000 direct jobs, as well as another 28,000 in an estimated 100-plus supply chain associated manufacturers.

Now, others competing for the orders will have their own strengths and weaknesses, and clearly, the KNDS product is only indicative of what might be achieved. But one has to ask what’s not to like about a mature, combat-proven, logistically-sustainable, and locally produced platform along the lines of Dingo?

Above all else, the British MoD will want to avoid at all costs the slow-motion car crash that has been the introduction of the Ajax armoured cavalry vehicle, now slowly trickling into British army service some ten years late.

Choosing a proven and capable platform with all the advantages of economies of scale seems to make sense to me, always providing that the MoD doesn’t fall into the old trap of attempting to gold-plate an already acceptable solution by ordering the myriad of changes to the initial requirement that have plagued recent procurements of Ajax and Boxer.

We await the formal MoD invitation to tender (ITT) with bated breath!

Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a political and defence commentator and former army officer. Sign up for his podcasts and newsletters at www.DefenceReview.uk