Babcock International put its prototype General Logistics Vehicle (GLV) on display at DSEI 2023, held in London from 12-15 September.
Based on the proven Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series platform, the GLV is Babcock’s proposal for the British Army’s General Support Utility Platform (GSUP) requirement, for which a request for information (RFI) was issued in 2022. The GSUP programme is intended to replace the army’s Land Rover and other support vehicle fleets that together account for around 7,500 vehicles. Both the Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets within the army have been given an out-of-service date of 2030 by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The GLV has an automatic gear box and is powered by a 2.8-litre diesel engine. Featuring four doors for easy crew access and fold-flat doors to the rear compartment, which can accommodate a standard NATO pallet, the GLV has been given a bespoke military body and enhancements that focus on crew comfort, safety and easy weapon stowage. The vehicle also features a recovery winch.
The GSUP RFI was very short on detail but did specify a vehicle that should be no more than 3.5 tonnes and thus drivable on a UK Category B driving licence.
Also displayed at DSEI by Babcock was one of the two electrically powered Weapons Mount Installation Kit (WMIK) Land Rovers it has completed under Project Lurcher: an MoD initiative to help the British Army understand the implications and constraints of electric propulsion.
Under a one-year contract awarded to Babcock on 13 April 2023 the company is converting four in-service Land Rovers – two WMIK variants and two general service versions – to electric power with the assistance of electric vehicle specialist Electrogenic. Once the general service versions are also completed all four vehicles will be handed over to the army’s Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU), which will conduct a series of experimental battlefield/military trials.
Asked by ESD if the MoD would entertain the idea of a hybrid-powered GSUP, Lewis Bullock, the development lead for GLV with Babcock’s armour, mobility and vehicle systems area, noted that the GSUP RFI was very sparse but that early engagement with the MoD did suggest it might be open to alternative fuel solutions.
Peter Felstead
