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Land Rover have announced that they are stopping the production of their renowned Defender vehicle, after over 60 years of production.

The Land Rover has been the mainstay light transport of many a military force over the years. For example, during the Iraq conflict, the British SAS used Land Rover WMIK vehicles.

Before Land Rover and during World War 2, the LRDG successfully used unprotected and heavily armed Chevrolet off-road vehicles to carry the fledgling SAS into the North African desert for reconnaissance patrols and raids.

The ever-present IED threat, wider mission profiles and increased amount of equipment of more recent wars has changed the requirement for vehicles.

In practice a varied range of motor transport is used by coalition special forces, including motor cycles, small ATV's and heavier vehicles like Bushmasters. However, the successors to Pinkies and the WMIK have become vehicles like the Supercat Jackal/HMT400 as shown above. These are available in many versions and a number were purchased for use by the British SAS, US Delta Force, Danish and Australian special forces during the war in Iraq.

One of the main requirements for this type of vehicle is that it can be loaded up the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

The Jackal can, but not easily.

Supacat have now developed their Chinook compatible LMV400, which is derived from an off-road racer and this was launched at the DSEI Defence Show in London last year. With a top speed of over 100 mph and a range of 600 miles, it is a serious multi-purpose vehicle.

LMV400 - Courtesy of Supacat Ltd

Competitors in this field include the Defenture ATTV from Holland and the US General Dynamics Flyer. The latter is also available in an Osprey V-22 compatible version.

It is envisaged that more vehicles will be developed to meet the V-22 requirement due to the growing number of global forces adopting the aircraft. Even Boeing who build the V-22, have developed their own solution in the shape of the Phantom Badger.

These vehicles are largely custom engineered to meet specific defence contracts and operational requirements. As efficient and sleek as they may be, I have a feeling that I'm going to miss the old Land Rover...