The Ineos Grenadier has emerged as the winner in substantial contract tenders with the Italian Army and Austrian Government.
The Grenadier is becoming a vehicle of choice for European nations, with 10 countries across the continent now making use of the rugged 4×4.
Earlier this year, Ineos announced the Team Grenadier consortium, aimed at developing a range of vehicles that could be used by the British Army. Â
However, while the Grenadier is still under consideration as the basis for the British military’s next Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV), other nations have already added it to their strategic fleets.
European countries lead the way
The Italian Army has placed a ‘sizable order’ for the Ineos Grenadier in military specifiation via its local distributor, ATFlow.
The order represents the first NATO member to choose the Grenadier to fulfil a military contract.
In addition, the Austrian Government chose a tender submitted by vehicle armouring and conversion specialist, Valentin Tusch GmbH.
This will see the Ineos Grenadier used as the basis for a range of vehicles used by the Austrian Defence and Interior security force. These will be modified by Valentin Tusch to deliver enhanced protection.
Ineos says these are the first Grenadier orders placed by sovereign defence forces: a notable milestone for the British-designed 4×4.
A ‘vote of confidence’ for the Grenadier
Both the Italian and Austrian contract tenders noted the Grenadier’s versatile body options, multiple wheelbases and straightforward maintenance requirements as key reasons for choosing it.Â
“In a world where geopolitical tensions are rising, and military forces are bolstering their capabilities and resilience, they need the best modern equipment available,” said Mike Whittington, chief commercial officer at Ineos Automotive. “As a robust and highly capable vehicle, this is what the Grenadier was built for – to unremittingly serve armed forces in mission-critical roles.
“Our most recent military agreements signal a huge vote of confidence in Grenadier as a benchmark already, as talks with other nations’ defence procurement teams continue.”
Counterterrorism and tactical intervention units in Germany, France and Spain already make use of the Grenadier. In addition, it serves security and border forces in various Eastern European nations, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Slovakia.
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