Land Rover Defender Reports For Duty As JLR Bids For UK and NATO Defense Contracts

  • Land Rover could create nine militarized versions of the Defender.
  • JLR has presented a special Tactical Military Vehicle and Utility Vehicle.
  • More than 62,000 tests have been conducted to perfect their vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a trio of wild Defender-based military vehicles as it bids for a big defense contract in the UK and pushes to sell vehicles to several NATO defense organizations. Among the models on offer is a very special Defender pickup.

The models form part of the new Defender Wolf Series II, previewed earlier this month, and all use the same D7x architecture and monocoque as road-going Defender models. The first is described as a tactical military vehicle and isn’t dissimilar to Chevrolet’s Colorado-based Infantry Squad Vehicle.

Read: The UK Needs A New Military Vehicle And Land Rover Is Answering The Call

The headlights, hood, and front quarter panels are very similar to a road-going Defender, but virtually everything else is unique. For example, the military version features a removable windshield and lacks standard doors and side windows, going instead for an open-cabin design with seating for four soldiers and their equipment. Then there’s the pickup, which is even cooler.

 Land Rover Defender Reports For Duty As JLR Bids For UK and NATO Defense Contracts
Land Rover Defender Tactical Military Vehicle

Land Rover has built plenty of pickup-truck Defenders in the past, but the current-generation Defender, introduced in 2020, has never been offered in a truck configuration. As it turns out, the modern Defender’s design works incredibly well as a pickup.

The front half is mostly familiar Defender, but the rear of the cabin has been replaced with a large bed, steel sides and a spare wheel carrier. It can transport soldiers and military equipment across the most challenging terrain imaginable.

 Land Rover Defender Reports For Duty As JLR Bids For UK and NATO Defense Contracts
Land Rover Defender Utility Vehicle

“Defender Wolf Series II is exceptionally robust and versatile,” Defender managing director Patrick McGillycuddy said when revealing the three new models in the UK. “Its D7x monocoque construction enables us to adapt the platform to the wide range of roles and operational requirements demanded by military organizations.”

Land Rover says it’s completed more than 62,000 tests with the special militarized versions of the Defender. It’s currently competing for the Ministry of Defence’s Light Mobility Vehicle tender, and the Defender could eventually serve as the basis for nine different military vehicles, including the Tactical Mobility Vehicle (TMV) and Utility Vehicle (UV) showcased here, as well as a Battlefield Ambulance (BFA), General Purpose Vehicle (GPV), Command and Control Vehicle (C2V), and Mono-Tactical Mobility Vehicle (M-TMV or Mono-TMV).