It is unclear how the British Army’s Toyota Hilux fleet will be configured once in service. Credit: RoClickMag via Shutterstock.com
  • UK MoD has confirmed Project Niala will deliver 270 Toyota Hilux Invincible X 4x4s to the British Army’s 11 Brigade under a £19.7m contract
  • The deal uses a commercial off-the-shelf vehicle, with UK firm Sonic Communications adding a security upgrade package; per-vehicle cost is just under £73,000
  • The purchase sits outside the delayed Land Mobility Programme, even as Toyota pitches the Hilux and Land Cruiser for the wider LMP fleet replacement

The UK Government has revealed that the 4×4 vehicle acquired for the British Army’s 11 Brigade as part of Special Operations Forces acquisition will be the commercially available Toyota Hilux Invincible X.

Detailed in a Parliamentary written response, the UK Government said that the acquisition, being conducted under Project Niala, would meet “an emergent capability requirement” via the £19.7m ($26.1m) contract.

As such, each of the 270 Toyota Hilux Invincible X 4x4s will cost just short of £73,000, a significant markup from the approximate £48,000 current retail price.

The contract was awarded to UK-based Sonic Communications, which will add a security-related upgrade package to each vehicle.

Army Technology earlier revealed the announced contract, which excluded any mention of the selected platform, with documentation heavily redacted.

It is unlikely that 11 Brigade will be able to take advantage of the Invincible X’s 8-inch touchscreen display, or its Apple and Android connectivity. Credit: Toyota

It is unclear why Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and one of the few remaining loyalists to outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, opted to reveal the type of platform type when contract documentation specifically withheld that information.

Project Niala is entirely outside of the long-delayed Land Mobility Programme (LMP) procurement, which is currently held up pending a financial settlement between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

However, Toyota is pitching its Hilux and Land Cruiser for the LMP programme, along with a range of UK and overseas suppliers, which will replace the outgoing Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicle fleets.

Background to British Army’s Hilux decision

Mobility appears central to the future position of the British Army, a notion seemingly being pushed at the highest levels, with head of the British Army General Staff, General Roly Walker, outlining the position the UK military is being geared towards, under Nato guidance.

Speaking at the RUSI Land Warfare lectures this week, Walker said the British Army was changing structure in a bid to counter a perceived Russian threat and shifts to battlefield doctrine.

“Over the past year, we have used the full weight of British and Five Eyes intelligence to really get under the skin of this Russian fighting system. Not just in the battlefields of Ukraine, but where SACEUR [Supreme Allied Command Europe] would probably most likely employ us,” Walker said.

To this end, Walker said the British Army was learning about Russian weakness, citing lessons learned from the Ukraine-Russia war, with the developing counter being “largely led by our Land Special Operations Forces over here”, as well as “forward on the eastern flank”.

11 Brigade is the British Army’s Land Special Operations Force’s formation, designed to “intercept, engage, and deceive the enemy”, according to the British Army.

The British Army’s 11 Brigade is undergoing transition to a tactical recce-strike role. The unit was formerly the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade, providing training and guidance for foreign militaries.

11 Brigade
A soldier from The 3rd Battalion, The Rifles (3 Rifles) guiding a Land Rover through the terrain during Ex Northern Star in Finland in May. Credit: UK MoD/Crown copyright

The service adds that the unit integrates “the latest robotics” as well as “autonomous and uncrewed systems” as part of its restructure.

Earlier this month, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, one of the units that comprise 11 Brigade, undertook exercises in Finland where they deployed a range of drones and other technology in small-unit infantry serials.

It is thought that 11 Brigade was involved in the training of Ukrainian forces under Operation Interflex, and also contains elements of 77 Brigade, the British Army’s psychological warfare operations unit.

Tactics being developed include the use of a ‘Ghost’ UAV, designed for medium-range reconnaissance and surveillance, providing real-time intelligence and target acquisition to UK forces.