Army could replace Land Rover
Fering is going head-to-head with some of the biggest names in defence with its Pioneer prototype.
It first supported Britain’s troops in the Korean War more than 75 years ago and has been involved in almost every conflict since. But the emblematic Land Rover is finally being retired as a British military vehicle, and a replacement is needed for the 6,000-strong fleet.
The 4x4 workhorse, affectionately nicknamed the “Landy” and used by generations of soldiers, will be phased out by 2030. Some of the world’s biggest motoring and defence giants – from Britain, America and Germany – are vying to provide a replacement vehicle.
Luke Pollard, the defence minister, said: “Land Rover is an iconic British vehicle. It has served us incredibly well, but now is the time to replace it with something with greater capability. “[This is] a different type of procurement. I want it to be better value for the taxpayer. I want it to be quicker, bringing these vehicles online much faster than we’ve had before.”
The initial order will be for 3,000 vehicles and will be worth around £900m. Rheinmetall, the German company that builds tanks for the Bundeswehr, is competing for the lucrative contract with its Shadow Wolf 4x4. GM Defence and BAE Systems are offering the Infantry Squad Vehicle 9 in a joint bid, while General Dynamics Land Systems, which makes the beleaguered Ajax armoured vehicle for the Army, is also tendering. Babcock International is proposing its General Logistics Vehicle, based on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series, and Fering, the fledgling Battersea-based motor firm, is also in the running.
Founded by Ben Scott-Geddes, the former Ferrari and McLaren engineer, in 2019, Fering is going head-to-head with some of the biggest names in defence with its Pioneer prototype. The 1.6-ton vehicle was initially designed to carry adventurers through the world’s harshest environments. But Fering has pivoted into building infantry transporters, with a focus on providing a “niche, high-end” platform that special forces could use.
Powered primarily by electricity, with a back-up 100-gallon biodiesel tank, the Pioneer has a range of 4,300 miles, Fering says. That means it could spend weeks on the front line without needing to resupply.
“You can drive from London to Istanbul and back on one tank of fuel,” said Gareth Reece, Fering’s chief commercial officer, who is a former British Army paratrooper.
Members of special forces units across the world have aided the design, added Mr Reece, and the vehicle can be equipped with electronic counter-drone systems, lasers and mortar launchers. Pioneer can also act as a miniature power factory, using its batteries to pump out 60kWh to charge equipment, including all-terrain e-bikes that could be used for reconnaissance.
“This vehicle can be seen as a mobile generator... It can run a three-bedroom home for about four and a half months on a single tank of gas,” added Mr Reece.
With 22 staff and no significant manufacturing facility, Fering is unlikely to fill the 3,000-strong first tranche of vehicles.
But the upstart firm hopes to capitalise on the Land Rover retirement by offering several hundred vehicles for high-end special forces missions. At the other end of the spectrum is AM General, the American motor giant, which is seeking to bring its Humvee to the Army. The vehicle has been the backbone of the US military since it was first adopted more than 40 years ago, with tens of thousands in the fleet. Based in South Bend, Indiana, AM General is offering to provide its latest generation of vehicles to Britain, including the next-generation Humvee Saber and the JLTV A2. The 14.1-ton Saber has a V8, 6.5l turbocharged diesel engine and can be fitted with a range of turreted weapons. The American firm has teamed up with UK-based Marshall Land Systems and says if it wins the contract, it will open a manufacturing plant in Britain to build the Humvee fleet.
“We’re really excited about what we could offer,” said Jim McManus, director of international business development at AM General.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has recently announced it too will be competing, offering its latest Defender series, which the company insists is the only vehicle in the market that has passed all the benchmarks set by the Ministry of Defence.
Built in Slovakia with 75 per cent of the parts from British manufacturers, JLR says it could produce 200 models a day and rapidly fulfil the MoD’s initial 3,000-vehicle order.
“The one challenge we’ve got is perception in terms of the vehicle looking beautiful, with everybody thinking ‘you’ve got a Chelsea tractor that can just about get over a kerb in London’ when actually what we’ve got here is more capable than anybody else,” said Murray Paul, public affairs director at JLR.
“That’s not us saying it, we have had it independently tested through Millbrook [an off-road testing facility and proving ground] and it is the only vehicle to have passed every single obstacle.”
