After half a century, the Land Rover’s position as the mainstay vehicle of the British Army is about to come to an end. The Ministry of Defence has begun a project to replace the current fleet of more than 10,000 Land Rover Defenders with vehicles better equipped to deal with the changing nature of modern war.

The Defence Procurement Agency is carrying out trials to decide what to replace the Land Rover with. In a move that will shock patriotic Land Rover enthusiasts, one of the frontrunners being considered is Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes currently has no major contracts to supply tactical vehicles to the military, but has set up a subsidiary — Mercedes-Benz UK Defence — in order to win Ministry of Defence (MoD) business. Earlier this month the division enjoyed a large presence at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics 2004 show — a high-security, restricted-access motor show for the military.

While military sales of the Land Rover are not crucial to the business (the last big order was for 8,000 Defenders in 1995, whereas 28,315 Defenders were made last year alone), the army’s reliance on the vehicle in almost every campaign since the end of the second world war has given it massive goodwill and loyalty among civilian buyers.

The war in Iraq has played an important part in convincing military planners that the era of the Land Rover should be ended. Put simplistically, in earlier wars, tanks and armoured vehicles would go into battle and win the ground before the unarmoured Land Rovers would be moved up to patrol the area. However, in Iraq, following the short campaign involving tanks, the unarmoured Land Rovers patrolling the streets have been subject to numerous ambushes and attacks, leaving soldiers keen to have more protection.

Adding armour means adding weight, and the problem is that Land Rovers have a lower payload capacity than rivals. The current army Defender has a payload of just over one ton, and after the weight of armour is added, this leaves little capacity for troops and equipment.

“One ton really isn’t enough in the modern world,” says Shaun Connors, co-editor of Jane’s Military Vehicles.

Even without the need for armour, the Ministry of Defence is looking for vehicles that can carry more, as modern soldiers have ever-increasing amounts of high-tech equipment and weaponry. Some versions of the Mercedes G-wagen can carry more than two tons.

“Protection is becoming a big issue,” says Nick Fox, the manager of the Operational Utility Vehicle System (OUVS) project, which includes replacing the existing Land Rover fleet. “If you’re putting half a ton of armour on a vehicle, plus the kit, plus the men, the payload becomes an issue, and a light vehicle like a Land Rover is limited.”

The ministry has not ruled out replacing some of the Land Rovers with newer versions, but experts believe this is unlikely in any great number. At present it is not even clear what Land Rover could offer. Industry experts say that the iconic Defender is set to be replaced, probably around 2007, with a model based on the T5 platform used in the new Discovery 3. This uses a monocoque (a combined body and chassis) for better handling, whereas the Defender used a separate body and ladder-frame chassis, making it easier for different bodies to be bolted on in different military scenarios. “For military purposes, the new Discovery would be next to useless,” says Connors.

The OUVS project covers the entire tactical support fleet of vehicles capable of carrying up to a six-ton payload, and so will also see the replacement of about 1,000 Pinzgauer off-roaders and about 850 of the despised Reynolds-Boughton trucks. The decision on what will replace them is expected around 2007, with the vehicles in use by 2009. It does not extend to the “white fleet” of non-tactical vehicles — catering vehicles used on army bases, for example — which will keep the Land Rovers already in use.

The ministry has said it is keen to use one supplier to replace all the vehicles in the OUVS range. This gives Mercedes, and its DaimlerChrysler parent, a distinct advantage.

It can supply the G-wagen, the Unimog truck, and also stretched and uprated versions of the Dodge Ram and Jeep Wrangler. British officers recently visited Dodge in America to look at these vehicles. Defence officials also see a global supply chain, such as DaimlerChrysler’s, as an advantage.