- Ford, GDLS-UK and Ricardo are bidding for the British Army's Light Mobility Vehicle programme.
- Proposed range covers both Ranger and Ranger Super Duty platforms in 4x4 and 6x6 forms.
- Ranger Super Duty provides just under 2 tonnes payload and 4.5 tonnes towing.
The Ford Ranger is at the centre of a bid for the British Army's Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme.
Ford, General Dynamics Land Systems-UK (GDLS-UK) and engineering specialist Ricardo have formed the team behind it.
The announcement is a bid, not a contract award. Ricardo's 6x6 Ranger work predates it, having appeared in DRIVEN's coverage of the Ranger HEX conversion on 26 September 2023. The 2026 development is the formal partnership pitching Ranger and Ranger Super Duty as a broader military vehicle range.
Ford supplies the Ranger platform
Ford's role covers the Ranger-based vehicle platform, integration and aftersales support. GDLS-UK is the prime contractor, taking responsibility for defence-system integration and the militarised conversion, while Ricardo is the engineering partner.
The offer spans the regular Ranger and the heavier-duty Ranger Super Duty. Ford also notes that its 3.0-litre V6 is made at Dagenham, adding a British manufacturing component alongside the conversion and systems work.
Ford lists the regular Ranger with a 1-tonne payload and 3.5-tonne towing capacity. Ranger Super Duty raises those figures to just under 2 tonnes of payload, an 8-tonne gross train mass and 4.5-tonne towing capacity.
4x4 and 6x6 demonstrators broaden the pitch
Carscoops reports that the visible military demonstrators include both 4x4 and 6x6 configurations, with the 6-wheel prototype based on the Ranger Super Duty chassis.
Ford's imagery points to more than a single load-carrying layout. It depicts vehicles configured with enhanced protection and mission systems, along with troop-carrier, utility, light-tactical, equipment-support and battlefield-ambulance variants.
That range gives the bid team several ways to package the familiar Ranger platform for the LMV requirement. These remain demonstrators and proposed variants rather than confirmed British Army fleet additions.
