Team LionStrike, the consortium led by NP Aerospace and also featuring GM Defense and BAE Systems, confirmed on 5 November 2026 that it has delivered the three vehicles required by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) as part of the next stage of the UK’s Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) competition.
The consortium also released a first picture of its Battlefield Ambulance (BFA) variant, which, along with a Tactical Mobility Vehicle (TMV) and General Purpose Vehicle (GPV) sample, were the candidate vehicles required to be delivered to progress into the programme’s trials stage.
The BFA variant is based on the Chevrolet Silverado Heavy-Duty (HD) platform first launched onto the UK defence market in May 2026, while the TMV is a version of GM Defense’s in-service Infantry Squad Vehicle – Utility (ISV-U) and the GPV is a slightly modified Chevrolet Silverado Light-Duty truck that maintains maximum commonality with the commercial off-the-shelf pick-up.
Designed and integrated by NP Aerospace and GM Defense, the BFA variant has a payload of over 1,100 kg and can carry two seated casualties, two stretcher casualties and two medics in the rear along with a two-person crew in the cab. It is also configured with storage for required medical supplies and equipment.
On 1 October 2026 the UK MoD downselected seven bidding LMV teams, inviting them to move forward with providing candidate vehicles for trials.
Along with Team LionStrike, the downselected teams were:
- Team Grenadier, comprising primarily INEOS Automotive, SMT Defence and NMS UK, offering solutions based on the INEOS Grenadier;
- Babcock and Supacat, offering the General Logistics Vehicle family built upon the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series platform;
- Ford, GDLS-UK and Ricardo, with a bid leveraging the Ford Ranger and Ranger Super Duty commercial pick-up architecture to produce scalable, military-grade platforms;
- Team Wolf, comprising Rheinmetall UK and Mercedes-Benz UK, offering a family of vehicles based on the Mercedes-Benz BR464 integrated at Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land’s facility in Telford;
- Jaguar Land Rover, bidding a range of vehicles based on its current Defender Wolf Series II;
- Spanish vehicle conversion specialist Iturri and multinational automotive Stellantis, bidding their Gritstone solution comprising vehicles based on the Landtrek VMTT (Vehículos Militares Todoterreno Tácticos) platform in Spanish service, which is derived from the Changan F70 pick-up born out of a joint venture between Peugeot and China’s Changan Automobile Group.
In a 5 November press release Team Lion Strike quoted David Petheram, managing director and senior vice president for NP Aerospace Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares, as stating, “Delivering the three variants to the MoD is a major step for NP Aerospace as the prime contractor working alongside our Team LionStrike partners. The development of the new BFA variant has been a live demonstration of how the customer benefits from having the OEM fully embedded into the team. The BFA design and integration is fully OEM-endorsed, increasing confidence, compliance, reliability and safety. And it’s all been done here in the UK.”
