North Defence, Strongs launch joint venture ahead of British Army LMV competition

Two British engineering firms have joined forces to establish a UK manufacturing capability for North Defence’s LMV MKIII offering to the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme, as competition to replace the British Army’s ageing Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets intensifies.

North Strong, the trading name of North Strong Defence Ltd, brings together North Defence – an LMV specialist founded by former Royal Engineer, Oliver North – and the Midlands-based polymer engineering company, Strongs Plastic Products.

Announced on 14 October, the joint venture will operate from a dedicated manufacturing facility in Tamworth, Staffordshire, producing co-polymer vehicle bodies for North Defence’s LMV platforms.

The move combines North Defence’s military vehicle design and integration expertise with Strongs’ polymer engineering experience, creating a dedicated production capability as the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) progresses its requirement to replace the Army’s ageing Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets under the LMV programme.

Oliver North, chief executive of North Defence, said: “This is about delivering real, sovereign capability, not just intent. For years, we’ve evolved our vehicles at a pace traditional primes struggle to match, because our model allows us to respond immediately to changing battlefield demands.

“North Strong now gives us the ability to scale that agility – rapidly, reliably, and here in the UK – across multiple platforms.”

James Strong, the managing director of Strongs Plastic Products, said the new joint venture represented “a golden opportunity” to apply the company’s decades of polymer engineering experience to supporting UK and NATO forces, while developing its capabilities in a new market sector.

Founded in 1978 by the late Barry Strong, the Midlands-based company is now led by the second generation of the Strong family. The two engineering firms have worked together since 2023, with the new joint venture formalising their collaboration into a dedicated manufacturing operation.

Modular vehicle design underpins LMV MKIII proposition

The launch of this joint venture coincides with the introduction of North Defence’s LMV MKIII, which is designed to use Toyota, Ford, INEOS Grenadier and Mercedes-Benz base chassis with a common North Strong-produced co-polymer vehicle body.

The approach seeks to separate the military vehicle’s body and integrated capabilities from a single original equipment manufacturer, potentially allowing the company to adapt its offering to different platforms and operational requirements. North Defence says the architecture could improve supply chain resilience and provide greater flexibility in vehicle configuration.

The LMV MKIII incorporates upgraded suspension, run-flat wheel assemblies, auxiliary power systems, blackout capability and thermal imaging alongside its lightweight body. These features aim to support operations in demanding environments, although their performance and suitability for the Army’s specific requirements will ultimately need to be assessed through the LMV procurement process.

North Strong also forms part of North Defence’s wider expansion of its UK industrial footprint. The firm opened a 50,000ft² production facility in Elland, West Yorkshire, on 9 October; doubling its production space and signalling plans to increase manufacturing capacity further.

However, North Strong’s recent announcement does not itself constitute a UK MOD contract award or confirmation that the venture’s LMV MKIII offering has secured a place in the final phases of the competition.

British Army’s LMV competition advances towards vehicle trials

North Strong enters a competitive field as the UK MOD advances its LMV procurement into the vehicle trials phase. The programme is expected to be worth £2bn, with options potentially taking the total requirement beyond 9,500 vehicles.

In March 2026, the UK government confirmed the Army had begun retiring its Land Rover fleet, with the first replacement vehicles expected to be fielded by 2030.

The LMV initiative has attracted a range of established defence and automotive manufacturers, offering solutions based on vehicles including the Ford Ranger, INEOS Grenadier, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series. Other proposals include Jaguar Land Rover’s Defender Wolf Series II and Team LionStrike’s GM Defense-based platforms.

The procurement has progressed towards dialogue and vehicle trials, with the MOD having selected seven teams – comprising Team LionStrike; Ford, General Dynamics Land Systems UK (GDLS-UK) and Ricardo; Team Grenadier; Team Wolf; Babcock and Supacat; Jaguar Land Rover and Iturri – having been down-selected to move into the trials phase in early October.

For North Strong, the challenge will be to demonstrate that their approach to vehicle design and UK-based manufacturing can meet the British Army’s operational requirements, delivery schedules and value-for-money expectations.

The joint venture highlights how specialist UK-based engineering firms are seeking to contribute to the next-generation of military ground mobility through domestic manufacturing, adaptable vehicle architecture and resilient supply chains. The precise status of North Strong’s participation has not been publicly confirmed.