NP Aerospace, the global vehicle integrator and armour manufacturer, has today announced the award of a £71 million wheeled vehicle support contract called the Conventional Vehicle Systems Spares and Post Design Services (CVSSP) contract. The contract, let by the UK MoD Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), was competitively tendered with bids submitted by major players across the UK defence industry. The contract duration is four years with two options to extend beyond that, of a further one year each.

Collage of the vehicles and equipment covered in the CCVSSP contract.

This is a joint announcement together with UK MoD that coincides with the DVD exhibition taking place at Millbrook, 18-19 September 2024. At DVD NP Aerospace are exhibiting on stand OR13 at the offroad area.

The UK MoD CVSSP contract will see NP Aerospace deliver Post Design Services (PDS), Design Authority (DA) and Spares Procurement Services to a fleet of over 15,000 UK MoD core vehicles including: the entire Land Rover fleet; Pinzgauer fleet; protected Land Rover; RWMIK and the Lightweight Trailer fleet. The CVSSP contract consolidates and amalgamates former individual MoD PDS contracts providing a new single point of contact. Obsolescence management is a key challenge with some of the MoD’s ageing fleets and the CVSSP contract will ensure that vehicle fleet availability is maintained at the required levels to meet the operational and training needs.

In 2019 NP Aerospace won a similar vehicle support contract known as Protected Mobility Engineering & Technical Support (PMETS) that has since been successfully supporting the MoD’s fleet of over 2000 Protected Mobility Vehicles. The vehicles covered under the PMETS contract include Mastiff, Wolfhound, Ridgback, Buffalo, Choker, RODET, Foxhound, Jackal, Coyote and Husky. Having been successfully delivering PMETS for five years, NP Aerospace is now perfectly placed to align the newly awarded CVSSP contract alongside PMETS using tried and tested procedures that have already gained the confidence of the UK MoD.

This contract award will create and sustain jobs at NP Aerospace’s Coventry facility. The company’s facilities will also be expanded in due course to enable, integrate and deliver this new contract.

The UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, said: “We will deliver a state-of-the-art combat vehicle fleet, ensuring our soldiers are equipped with cutting-edge firepower, protection, and mobility”. She added: “This new contract will help to secure the future of these crucial capabilities, streamlining the processes involved in repairs and upgrades, while boosting UK economic growth at the same time.”

Brigadier Matt Wilkinson from the Vehicle Support Team at Defence, Equipment and Support, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with NP Aerospace and I’m delighted that we are able to continue this partnership. Not only does it provide the best possible service to the Armed Forces, but it also aligns with the MOD’s future Land Industrial Strategy initiatives, including an evolution to Land Integrated Operating Services.”

James Kempston, CEO at NP Aerospace, commented: “This announcement is huge news for the team at NP Aerospace and we’re all delighted to have won this major contract against strong competition. It shows the high regard in which our services are held by the UK MoD, and that we deliver best value for our customer. He added:

“The CVSSP contract aligns well with NP Aerospace’s abilities to support the MOD’s future LIOS initiative and the Land Mobility, and Land Industrial Strategy. The CVSSP award together with our current PMETS contract provides NP Aerospace with the post design support contracts covering the vast majority of the UK MoD’s lightweight wheeled utility, and protected mobility vehicle fleets.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Sept. 9, 2024 – The Commonwealth of Australia has awarded a vehicle contract to Polaris Australia for the DAGOR vehicle, an off-road and internally transportable tactical mobility platform from the company’s Government and Defense division. The contract is valued at AUD22 million (USD14.6M) and includes vehicles, mission accessories, technical manuals, spare parts and tool kits, driver and maintainer training and ongoing, in-country support.

Polaris will deliver the DAGOR vehicles to the Australian Defence Force in several variants in support of joint missions worldwide. The four-wheel, all-terrain vehicles will be configured in three different variants – a transport variant for enhanced tactical mobility and greater standoff; an expeditionary reconnaissance variant for continued agility and increased stealth in austere conditions; and a cargo variant with the rear seats replaced with a rear bed extension for increased combat load capacity. Polaris engineered standard mission configuration items, as well as locally engineered and manufactured content, will be integrated onto the vehicles at a Polaris facility in Melbourne.

“We are proud to provide this capability for Australian personnel. The DAGOR all-terrain vehicle will allow teams to move faster, carry more and significantly reduce combat fatigue by navigating complex terrain otherwise covered on foot,” said Michael Cannell, Government and Defense sales and operation manager, Polaris Australia. “Polaris Australia will also provide in-country sustainment, leveraging the global presence of Polaris as these vehicles deploy globally.”

DAGOR comprises an optimal balance of rapid air transportability, payload capacity and advanced mobility and is the most capable military platform in its class for off-road, rugged terrain. The chassis and suspension are engineered for off-road operation at full payload of 1,814 kilograms (4,000 pounds), which also contributes to the vehicle’s overall reliability and durability. DAGOR uses a readily available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) driveline, controls and components like a diesel/JP8 engine selected for its ideal combination of power, weight and size. DAGOR can produce up to 4.4 kW of exportable power and is heavy-weapons capable. Its weight and size allow it to be internally transportable on a variety of in-service aircraft, including CH-47, C-17 and C-130 and is also airdrop and sling-load certified.

“Collaboration within the global defence community is critical to mission success and equipment commonality helps enable interoperability among joint forces,” said Nick Francis, vice president, Polaris Government and Defense. “Polaris military vehicles have become force multipliers for expeditionary forces by extending mission range while mitigating operator fatigue and increasing mission readiness and capability.

DAGOR’s unique design and use of commercial components allows for ease of operation, maintenance and sustainment in support of combat operations. Allied forces that also have the DAGOR platform include U.S. forces, Canadian forces, and multiple European countries. DAGOR vehicle production is underway, and deliveries will take place over the next two years. These vehicles will augment existing Australian vehicle fleets, which include two other Polaris products: the MV850 and Sportsman 6×6 Big Boss ATVs.

Polaris designs and manufactures the most capable light tactical and all-terrain military vehicles available today with technology development and insertion for the battlefield of tomorrow. No one knows light off-road mobility like Polaris, whose light tactical vehicles – the MV850, MRZR turbo diesel, MRZR Alpha and DAGOR – support more than 50 military forces worldwide which is a testament to the capability gap these vehicles fulfill. These platforms provide unmatched off-road capability while also being intuitive to operate, simple to maintain, highly transportable and easy to globally support.