Vehicle integrator and armour manufacturer NP Aerospace has been contracted by the Belgian Ministry of Defence (MoD) to deliver the remaining 87 Light Tactical Transport Vehicles (LTTVs) of an original order for 199 won by Jankel Armouring Limited.
The contract to deliver the remaining LTTVs, which are based on the Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG chassis, was novated following NP Aerospace’s acquisition of the assets of Jankel Armouring Ltd, which was announced on 10 June 2024.
As well as the production of new LTTVs, this contract also includes lifetime in-service support to the LTTV fleet, for which NP Aerospace will use its proven Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares business unit to deliver. In addition to the LTTV contract, NP Aerospace has also signed an in-service support contract with the Belgian MoD for its Rapid Reaction Vehicles (RRV) fleet, a product for which NP Aerospace also now owns the intellectual property.
NP Aerospace will commence the ramp-up of the LTTV production plan by adopting a fresh approach, with operations being established at the company’s Coventry facilities. As already agreed with the customer, a particular emphasis will be placed upon working to the required quality standards and timescales.
“NP Aerospace has a fully established vehicle-related, UK-based supply chain in place and will be employing proven best practices to deliver a production programme that meets and where possible exceeds customer expectations, bringing delivery back on track,” the company stated.
The LTTV is designed to provide a modular and configurable tactical support vehicle that benefits from unique, removable mission modules that enable the vehicle to be re-roled rapidly for operational platform versatility. With a payload of over three tonnes, dependent on the final vehicle specification, the LTTV has three core variants for special operations support, including an ambulance variant. Alongside a user-configurable, fully integrated suite of military subsystems that includes a removable ballistic protection kit, a rollover protection system, weapon mounts and a communications fit.
Lieutenant Colonel Jean-François Gennotte, representing the Belgian MoD, was quoted by NP Aerospace as saying, “We are very pleased with the acquisition of the assets of Jankel Armouring Limited by NP Aerospace, which allowed us to novate our existing contracts and to keep our fleet supported. The long record of experience in this sector of NP Aerospace looks very promising and we are looking forward to a long lasting and hopefully fruitful co-operation.”
James Kempston, NP Aerospace CEO, stated, “Following on from our recent announcement regarding the acquisition of Jankel Armouring Limited’s assets, we’re very pleased indeed to announce the award of this major contract, having been novated to us by the [Belgian MoD] customer. We’re now putting everything in place to get the LTTV programme up and running and delivering to the customer’s expectations. This is great news for NP Aerospace, for our UK supply chain and for Coventry as we continue to create and/or sustain high skilled jobs in the region and across our supplier partnerships.”
