Fering enters British Army Land Rover replacement race with hybrid-electric Pioneer X

A seventh contender, Fering Technologies, has entered the race to replace the British Army’s Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicles in the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme with its Pioneer X. It claims to be one of the only British-designed and engineered solutions for the British Army.

While some of those likely LMV contenders have not yet officially announced a bid, Fering Technologies stated on Wednesday that it has already submitted its bid for the programme.

Fering Technologies is a British vehicle and technology company based in London and specializes in designing and engineering “extreme-range, all-terrain electric vehicles for defence, security and commercial users.”

Gareth Reece, Chief Commercial Officer, Fering Technologies said, “We have designed the Pioneer platform here in London and will build the vehicle in the UK under a manufacturing partnership for the UK MoD.”

Capabilities of Fering’s Pioneer X vehicle

Fering’s Pioneer X is described as being designed around a modular architecture that features an ultra-lightweight carbon chassis that is intended to be easily reconfigured to meet the British Army’s requirement for nine variants. The Pioneer X can be adapted in the field without the need for specialist tools.

The advertized capabilities of the vehicle are impressive. Pioneer X’s curb weight is 1,750kg, while the gross vehicle rating its 3,500kg and its maximum train weight is 7,000kg. It comes with a max payload of 1,550 kg.

It is designed to handle extreme terrain and comes with a 4-wheel internal independent air spring variable ride with an 18 bar active suspension, Central Tyre Inflation System, and on/offroad operating modes. It offers a 60% gradient climb, 51° traverse angle, and 0.75m step climb. Fering claims it is fully submersible to IP67.

Pioneer X is able to be transported by the British Armed Forces’ CH-47 Chinooks as well as CH-53 Sea Stallions and C-130 Hercules (not in service with the British Armed Forces).

The vehicle can also be operated remotely for autonomous operations, potentially offering some of the advantages of higher-end UGVs. UGVs have become ubiquitous on the field in Ukraine.

A hybrid-electric option for the British Army

Perhaps one of the most notable attributes of the Pioneer X is that it is a hybrid-electric vehicle. None of the other six potential contenders appear to be submitting a hybrid solution, making this bid stand out.

Fering claims the vehicle will offer 7,010 kilometres of range and the ability to deliver up to 60kWh of power for onboard electrical systems. This power can also be used for deployable field equipment. Fering says this will enable self-sufficient missions in areas where “infrastructure and external logistics support is limited or non-existent.”

Future weapon systems (e.g., lasers, AESA radars, sensors) are power-intensive, and future warships and fighter jets (e.g., the GCAP/Tempest) are being designed to generate much greater amounts of electrical power than their predecessors.

Fering appears to believe that light army vehicles also have a role here with the Pioneer X generate a significant amount of electric power in the field. This is positioned as an “entirely different tactical proposition to a diesel utility truck.”

Pioneer X running in EV-only mode can operate in silence for up to 80 kilometres. Advantages of EV mode include reduced thermal and acoustic signatures.