The UK Army will select either Force Protection or Supacat to produce a new light protected patrol vehicle (LPPV) to replace the Snatch Land Rover in Afghanistan.
According to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) intends to purchase 200 of the light protected vehicles.
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The MoD has been testing the operational capabilities of Force Protection / Ricardo Ocelot LPPVs and the Supacat / NP Aerospace SPV 400 vehicles since the end of January to check that they are suitable to replace the Snatch, according to defencenews.com.
The engineering and operational trials for the Ocelot and SPV 400 vehicles are being carried out at the army test facilities at Millbrook and Aldershot.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is expected to announce a full statement on the LPPV programme next week.
The winning contractor will be announced in August, with a military in-service date in 2011.
Funds for the procurement of 200 vehicles will be provided through the UK’s urgent operational requirement process.
The army intends to procure a 6t-7t light patrol vehicle that can carry a crew of six and undergo urban and semi-urban patrols, and missions requiring high cross-country mobility.
