Ford, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Ricardo have formed a consortium to bid for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme.

The trio are pitching a commercial derivative vehicle based on the Ford Ranger – Europe’s best-selling pickup – against competitors to replace the British Army’s ageing light vehicle fleet.

The consortium said its proposal blends a military-grade derivative of the Ranger with the cost, scale and supply chain resilience of a proven commercial platform, factory-ready to meet the stringent requirements of modern military operations.

The offer is built on the Ford Ranger and Ranger Super Duty. By using a proven commercial platform, the consortium emphasises that the MoD can benefit from a best-in-class commercial, off-the-shelf platform that meets modern military requirements for payload, mobility and through-life support.

The Ranger platform offers a 1-tonne payload and 3.5-tonne towing capacity, while the heavy-duty Super Duty variant expands capabilities to an 8-tonne gross train mass and 4.5-tonne towing limit. The vehicles will be powered by Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 engine, which is built locally at the Dagenham engine plant in London.

Under the arrangement, Ford will provide the base platform, along with upfitting integration and aftersales support.

GDLS will serve as prime contractor, leading specialist defence systems integration and militarised conversion in its facilities in South Wales, where commercial platforms will be converted, integrated and supported as mission-ready vehicles for the British Army.

Ricardo will act as engineering partner, supporting the upfitting design to meet the British Army’s operational requirements.

The firms say that the set-up will bypass standard multi-year lead times and reduce development costs, while also delivering “a world-class solution capable of scaling in high volume during times of conflict”.

Jim Baumbick, president, Ford Europe said: “By marrying the most trusted and dominant truck platform in Europe, powered by an engine built in Dagenham, and the integration expertise of GDLS and Ricardo, we are able to offer an immediate, scalable and UK-supported mobility platform.

“Our team will give UK troops what they need to manoeuvre and win, while delivering supply chain resilience and reinforcing the UK strategic industrial base.”

The consortium’s bid relies heavily on established UK infrastructure. Together, the companies employ 7,000+ people across their UK facilities – including Ford’s engine production at Dagenham, advanced engineering at Dunton and in South Wales.

The partners also promise a global lifecycle support network, backed by Ford’s established UK service footprint. This includes its nationwide network of 171 dealers, 405 authorised repair sites, 120 mobile service vans, parts availability and fleet uptime expertise that can help provide the British Army with responsive, localised through-life support and maximum operational readiness.

For vehicles deployed beyond the UK, Ford’s European and global footprint of over 3,800 authorised repairers and 487 mobile service vans in Europe provides further resilience, helping support parts supply, servicing and production continuity across multiple regions. Ford’s global manufacturing and parts network also help mitigate disruption: if production or supply is constrained in one location, the scale of the wider Ford system provides options to maintain continuity of vehicle and parts supply.

The joint venture promises to protect UK manufacturing and support thousands of regional jobs.

Scott Milne, vice-president and general manager of GDLS-UK, said: “Built on GDLS and Ricardo’s 15-plus years of collaboration and Ford’s century of UK manufacturing investment, this partnership offers a low-risk, capable solution ready today and supportable for decades. Beyond vehicles, it strengthens UK sovereign capability, creates skilled jobs and keeps Wales at the forefront of Britain’s defence industrial base – while also laying the groundwork for future export opportunities and long-term growth for British industry.”

The Ford consortium’s announcement follows news earlier this summer that Ineos Automotive has formed its own venture to pitch a highly modified, military-spec version of the Grenadier to replace the army’s Land Rovers.