Two new designs for a possible program to replace the British Army’s much maligned Land Rover Snatch emerged within hours of DSEi 2009 opening.

British high mobility vehicle maker Supacat and a Force Protection Europe/Ricardo team both declared their hand taking the covers off designs to meet a Ministry of Defence requirement for a lightweight, mine resistant patrol vehicle to replace the Snatch.

The two teams were amongst 16 companies who responded earlier this year to  a pre-qualification questionaire from the MoD on a program known as the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LPPV).

The British have set a tough requirement for would-be bidders. The detailed specificiatons such as protection levels remain secret.

However, it is known the MoD is looking for a vehicle of about 7.5 tonnes, with a width a fraction over 2 metres. The vehicle should be able to carry two crew and four dismounts with safety levels more akin to a mine resistant platform like the Force Protection built Cougar.

Initially the British are looking for about 400 vehicles with delivery starting in 2012.

Other Land Rovers in the British Army fleet could also eventually be replaced with the LPPV winner.

Supacat executives attending the launch of their new vehicle said they expect the bidders to be whittled down to around four by the end of this month.

For the moment LPPV remains a market study with no committment or urgent operational requirement funding to launch a development and manufacture phase.

But the British requirement to remove the Snatch from the urban areas of Afghanistan is pressing for political and operational reasons.

The Government has come in for sustained criticism over the vulnerability of a vehicle originally designed to combat terrorists on the streets of Northern Ireland.

A number of fatalities and serious injuries have resulted from its use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Supacat, best known as the designer of the Jackal high mobility patrol vehicle used widely by the British Army in Afghanistan, only has its SPV400  in model form at the show.

Chief engineer Sean Limbrick says that two prototype vehicles will be ready by the end of the year to be handed over for testing as specified by the MoD.

Supacat managing director Nick Ames says the new vehicle is based on experience gained from the Jackal.

The company has partnered with local company NP Aerospace which has designed the composite/ceramic armoured pod used by the SPV400.

NP Aerospace has acquired a position in the British armoured vehicle market as the integrator of the Cougar 6×6 and 4×4 vehicles purchased over the few years in large numbers from Force Protection.

The  bigger Cougar is known as the Mastiff and the smaller vehicle the Ridgback in British Army service.

Ames said the vehicle development will continue regardless of whether the SPV400 is selected by the British or not.

He said the company is currently studying markets beyond the U.K. for an urban or rural patrol vehicle in the LPPV class or bigger. Supacat also has a 6×6 variant on the drawing board.

“We know there is an export market for this type of vehicle”, said Ames.

He said it was different to the market space occupied by the larger and heavier  JLTV development for the US military.

SPV400 uses an armoured steel V-shaped chassis hull, manufactured as a single structure. The composite crew pod sits over the hull and between the wheels.

While Supacat was only able to bring a model of their LPPV contender to DSEi the rival Force Protection Europe team had its Ocelot demonstrator at the show.

It was a close run thing though, Ocelot assembly at Ricardo Special Vehicles factory at Shoreham-On-Sea in southern England was only completed late last week.

Force Protection has set up a new subsidiary aimed at exploiting  European and other markets.

Its Cougar and Buffalo vehicles are already operated by a number of European and Middle Eastern armed forces.t

A new facility opened in the U.K. last week with the Ocelot being its first product offering.

Eventually Force Protection Europe hopes to employ up to 40 engineers, marketing and vehicle support staff.

For the Ocelot Force Protection has been responsible for the  design of the survivability elements of thevehicle including the composite pod.

The automotive elements were the responsibility of transport specialist Ricardo.

Ocelot comprises a V-shaped armoured spine housing the core automative components on to which can be mounted a number of special-to-role pods.

The Force Protection Europe/Ricardo team said the pods can be easily changed in the field to give the vehicle patrol, fire support or protected logistics capabilities.

Graeme Rumbol, the defence systems product director at Ricardo Special Vehicles, reckons the design principles of Ocelot will enable the companies to look at 6×6 and 8×8 variants.