Yesterday

All-new Defender Wolf Series II breaks cover

The MOD needs a new Light Mobility Vehicle - here's what Land Rover is bringing to the party 

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Probably you already know about the Land Rover Defender Wolf, so ubiquitous has it become in the lifeblood of the British military. And even those who don’t know it as a Wolf will recognise the camo’d, beefed-up Defenders a mile off, having seen one on a road (or in a valley) over the years with a strange numberplate on it. 

But as you might already be aware, the Wolf’s time as the MOD’s Light Mobility Vehicle has come to an end, and a replacement is needed. That was hardly an opportunity Land Rover was going to ignore, especially with Ineos having already thrown its Grenadier MRLV-shaped hat into the ring. So this is the Wolf for modern warfare, built from the Defender’s D7X architecture and called, appropriately enough, the Wolf Series II. It will compete for the MOD tender, just like the Grenadier and a clutch of pickups. 

Though recognisable as a Defender once more, there’s rather more to this than a 110 with a colour matched wheels. It’s suggested that more than 60,000 tests took place during development to ensure the Wolf is fit for purpose when it comes to serving the armed forces. A Defender is tough already; this is going to be another level. The chassis and body are now able to withstand JLR’s Extreme Event Test procedure, which your average D350 isn’t going to. In a test at the MOD’s off-road facility, the Wolf was reportedly the only vehicle in attendance to navigate all obstacles.

And as is the Land Rover way, there’s more than just the Wolf itself to consider. Alongside the new model a new Defender Defence Division has been established, which sounds a bit Team America, but promises ‘to engage with and support the requirements of other defence organisations.’ In case it wasn’t clear just how important getting the contract is. You’d have to assume that the second generation of the vehicle that’s served the armed forces for so long would be considered favourable, although it remains to be seen if the MOD still favours something with a separate chassis. 

To double down on the Defender's flexibility, a pack (sorry) of four Wolfs will be shown at the British Army DVD event in a couple of weeks: a tactical mobility vehicle, a general mobility vehicle, an ambulance and a utility vehicle. They’re all in, that’s for sure. And JLR has experience when it comes to rough and ready new Defenders, with an entire Expert portfolio out there across the globe helping military, border forces and so on. As Ineos also does, in the interests of fairness. 

Defender Managing Director Patrick McGillycuddy said of the new machine: "The Defender Wolf Series II is our next generation military vehicle. British-designed and engineered with pioneering off-road technologies and an engine built in Wolverhampton. The Defender Wolf Series II is intended as a light mobility solution for people and equipment transportation for the defence sector." He continued: "Our Defender Wolf Series II has been tested to the extreme and is highly suited to military light mobility purposes. Defender already demonstrates its versatility in tough roles for emergency organisations around the world such as border force, mountain rescue, police and fire.” Expect a decision on that MOD tender in due course. 

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• Defender of the Realm | PH Footnote
  
• Ineos officially launches new Grenadier MRLV

[Familymad]

Will never be a true successor to the basic wolf which had no ECU’s and you could strap a machine gun onto it …

But I’m glad they are trying to make the Defender more rough and ready. The G wagon professional now has competition …

[smilo996]

MOD would be daft to choose anything else, especially Ineos which won't be around or will be absorbed into another car company.

[Simon_GH]

Sat waiting for the first breakdown comment…

[Noserider5]

Simon_GH said:

Sat waiting for the first breakdown comment

Hope they fit a manual dipstick & a spare headlamp unit

[Augustus Windsock]

Aaaand this comes as the MOD tells us it has made drastic cut backs including cancelling training exercises due to lack of funding
I can only hope that replacement vehicles are part of the (already agreed) budget or fall under a separate part of said budget

[Clad-Hach]

That looks perfect for me when I go to the shops for a packet of fish fingers...you never know I might get lost on the way home and end up in a forest with big hills and rivers of mud.

Then again maybe not..!!!

[Condi]

Augustus Windsock said:

Aaaand this comes as the MOD tells us it has made drastic cut backs including cancelling training exercises due to lack of funding
I can only hope that replacement vehicles are part of the (already agreed) budget or fall under a separate part of said budget

The army have been preparing for this for years - there is a complete shake up of the vehicles the army uses (from memory) into a "light mobility vehicle", "medium mobility" and "heavy mobility". The current fleet of Defenders are all being retired by mid-2030's and the Army are buying an "off the shelf" replacement.

Here is a video including some of the potential replacements.

[broncoupe]

A great choice for the safety of our troops
it will never get to the front line without breaking down or the DRLs going out

[hu8742]

nah... not happening. Cut backs. They'll stick with what they've got. The Snatch landrover is really ....

[Lester H]

Clad-Hach said:

That looks perfect for me when I go to the shops for a packet of fish fingers...you never know I might get lost on the way home and end up in a forest with big hills and rivers of mud.

Then again maybe not..!!!

But just consider your sheer credibility on the co-op car park.

[bloomen]

smilo996 said:

MOD would be daft to choose anything else, especially Ineos which won't be around or will be absorbed into another car company.

I'd buy the Babcock/ Toyota. It's based on the 70 series Land Cruiser. Supacat are also involved so there'll be British content.

An army Land Rover based on decades past is a very different proposition to one from modern times.

[Cristio Nasser]

There just isn’t one obvious candidate in this competition. Particularly around origins/manufacturing base.

I suspect they will choose a couple of options and depending on how they perform in the field over the years, quietly phase one of them out.

[Jon_S_Rally]

Bit weird for me this. The current Defender just seems so far away from the sort of thing you'd expect the MoD to order, as it's very much on the "production car" side of things, rather than a utility vehicle. That doesn't mean it's not a good car, but it certainly doesn't sit in the same ballpark as the likes of the old Defender, Land Cruiser or Grenadier. It would be fascinating to see just how much of the fancy electronics remain in this Wolf version, or whether they've paired it back to make it simpler and easier to repair in the field.

For me, I find it hard to see how they'd pick this over the Toyota or Ineos offerings, but it will be interesting to see how it all develops.

[Thornberry78]

Reality is any off the shelf replacement will be too tech heavy for serious military application. JLR should strip out 95% of the tech and fit coilovers, manual box and 5.9ltr Cummins diesel and then they'd be getting close.

[only1ian]

In true defence procurement style the cheapest option will already have been selected. The fact that the cheapest option will end up costing more in the long run won’t come into it nor will the fact that it’s less capable.

[Clad-Hach]

Lester H said:

Clad-Hach said:

That looks perfect for me when I go to the shops for a packet of fish fingers...you never know I might get lost on the way home and end up in a forest with big hills and rivers of mud.

Then again maybe not..!!!

But just consider your sheer credibility on the co-op car park.

I'd have to put a bag on my head in case someone saw me and thought it was mine.

[mjspencer348]

My heart says LR Defender (legacy, British brand), while my head says Babcock / Toyota (durability, reliability), glad I'm not having to make the decision.

[spreadsheet monkey]

Thornberry78 said:

Reality is any off the shelf replacement will be too tech heavy for serious military application. JLR should strip out 95% of the tech and fit coilovers, manual box and 5.9ltr Cummins diesel and then they'd be getting close.

Maybe JLR have already done that?

300TDi engine is always an option, if the 5.9 Cummins doesn’t fit

[nismo48]

Clad-Hach said:

Lester H said:

Clad-Hach said:

That looks perfect for me when I go to the shops for a packet of fish fingers...you never know I might get lost on the way home and end up in a forest with big hills and rivers of mud.

Then again maybe not..!!!

But just consider your sheer credibility on the co-op car park.

I'd have to put a bag on my head in case someone saw me and thought it was mine.

[GianiCakes]

Ridiculous to go off the shelf no matter how customised. Modern road cars, and the Defender is a very good one, are too far away from military requirements.
A bespoke vehicle will be better in the long run. If it can be done for London taxis then I can’t see why it won’t work for the military.