For more than 70 years, “British Army truck” has essentially been another way of saying Land Rover. Generations of soldiers learned to drive in Defender-based Wolfs.
But that fleet is aging out, and the Ministry of Defence wants roughly 2,500 modern replacements. Ford smells blood in the water, and its throwing its hat in the ring with the Ranger Super Duty 6×6.
Coming for Land Rover’s Oldest Gig
Ford has teamed up with General Dynamics Land Systems UK and engineering firm Ricardo to chase the MoD’s Light Mobility Vehicle program, which will retire the Army’s Land Rovers and Pinzgauers by 2030.
And it’s turning into quite the brawl. Land Rover is defending its home turf with the new Defender Wolf Series II, GM Defense is pitching a militarized Chevy Colorado, and Ineos has also entered the Grenadier. Evaluation trials run from this October through January 2027.
Six Wheels, Two Power Sources
The 6×6 prototype wears humble XLT-spec bodywork, but underneath sits the chassis from the Australian-developed Ranger Super Duty. Its Dagenham-built 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 sends 206 horsepower and 443 lb-ft to all six wheels.
That third axle is Ricardo’s HEX system, a bolt-on electric rear drive that adds up to 282 horsepower of its own. This means the hybrid half out-muscles the engine entirely. It even harvests braking energy and comes off without touching the factory frame.
Dressed for the Occasion
The rest of the hardware includes steel underbody armor, a heavy-duty transfer case, and locking diffs at both ends pair. It’s also equipped with nearly 12 inches of ground clearance and a 33.5-inch wading depth.
The workhorse numbers hold up here, as well, and includes a 9,921-pound tow rating and 4,370 pounds of payload. Inside, the standard 12-inch touchscreen also runs third-party tactical mission software.
Spec Sheet
Model: Ford Ranger Super Duty 6×6 (prototype)
Base Platform: Ford Ranger Super Duty chassis
Engine: 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 (206 HP, 443 lb-ft)
Hybrid System: Ricardo HEX electric rear drive (up to 282 HP)
Drivetrain: 6×6 (6×4 capable)
Ground Clearance: ~11.8 inches
Wading Depth: 33.5 inches
Towing Capacity: 9,921 LBs
Payload: 4,370 LBs
Gross Train Mass: 17,637 LBs
Pricing & Availability
Bad news for the six-wheel curious among us. This is a military procurement bid, not a product launch, so there’s no price tag and no order books. The British Army’s trials kick off in October 2026, with the winning design set to replace the Land Rover fleet by 2030.
Recap
Ford Ranger Super Duty 6×6
Ford, General Dynamics, and Ricardo are pitching a hybrid-boosted, six-wheeled Ranger Super Duty to replace the British Army’s aging Land Rover fleet, with trials kicking off this October.
