The Italian Army has selected an armored version of the INEOS Grenadier 4×4, making Italy the first NATO country to place a large-scale military order for the British-designed off-roader. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027.
The army chose the Grenadier Enhanced Protection Vehicle, or EPV, in its armored configuration. The vehicles will mainly serve in secondary roles, including internal logistics. INEOS and the Italian Defense Ministry did not disclose the number of vehicles ordered or the value of the contract.
INEOS has also signed a supply agreement with the Austrian government, Italian motoring magazine Quattroruote reported, making the two deals the company’s first military contracts. Details of the Austrian agreement were not released.
The EPV is built around a purpose-built armored steel cabin instead of armor panels added to a standard body. INEOS says the cabin meets Level 2 of NATO’s STANAG 4569 protection standard, which covers assault rifle fire and blasts from small mines. Its developers originally pitched the variant for client and VIP protection.
The armored model came out of Team Grenadier, the industrial group INEOS Automotive formed with SMT Defence and NMS UK and later expanded with Hobson Industries and TVS Supply Chain Solutions. The consortium is competing in the British Army’s Light Mobility Vehicle program, which is meant to replace the service’s Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets, and has adapted the civilian Grenadier into nine military configurations for the bid. The EPV was shown alongside other variants at the DVD 2026 defense vehicle exhibition at UTAC Millbrook on September 16 and 17, and Quattroruote reported that the Grenadier has passed the first selection stage of the British program.
The Grenadier is assembled at the INEOS plant in Hambach, France, and uses BMW six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Several key components come from Italy: the solid axles are made by Carraro in the Padua area, the brakes by Brembo, and suspension and steering parts by Turin-based Frap.
Civilian versions of the Grenadier already serve with police and border units in Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Slovakia, where they are used for border patrols and emergency services. Spain’s National Police is among the users. INEOS has opened talks with other European Union countries about military versions, Quattroruote reported.
Source: Defence Blog
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