Coventry's NP Aerospace wins £71m UK MoD wheeled vehicle support contract

Coventry's NP Aerospace, the global vehicle integrator and armour manufacturer, has been awarded a £71 million wheeled vehicle support contract called the Conventional Vehicle Systems Spares and Post Design Services (CVSSP) contract. The contract, let by the UK MoD Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), was competitively tendered with bids submitted by major players across the UK defence industry. The contract duration is four years with two options to extend beyond that, of a further one year each. 

The company said the contract will create and sustain jobs at NP Aerospace’s Coventry facility, which it plans to expand. Currently the business employs around 200 people.

The UK MoD CVSSP contract will see NP Aerospace deliver Post Design Services, Design Authority (DA) and Spares Procurement Services to a fleet of more than 15,000 UK MoD core vehicles including: the entire Land Rover fleet; Pinzgauer fleet; protected Land Rover; RWMIK and the Lightweight Trailer fleet. The CVSSP contract consolidates and amalgamates former individual MoD PDS contracts providing a new single point of contact. Obsolescence management is a key challenge with some of the MoD’s ageing fleets and the CVSSP contract will ensure that vehicle fleet availability is maintained at the required levels to meet the operational and training needs.

In its last published accounts, for the year ended December 31, 2022, NP Aerospace's turnover increased significantly from £30.6 million to £62.9 million.

James Kempston, CEO at NP Aerospace, added: “This announcement is huge news for the team at NP Aerospace and we’re all delighted to have won this major contract against strong competition. It shows the high regard in which our services are held by the UK MoD, and that we deliver best value for our customer.

He added: “The CVSSP contract aligns well with NP Aerospace’s abilities to support the MOD’s future LIOS initiative and the Land Mobility, and Land Industrial Strategy. The CVSSP award together with our current PMETS contract provides NP Aerospace with the post design support contracts covering the vast majority of the UK MoD’s lightweight wheeled utility, and protected mobility vehicle fleets.”      

In 2019 NP Aerospace won a similar vehicle support contract known as Protected Mobility Engineering & Technical Support (PMETS) that has since been successfully supporting the MoD’s fleet of more than 2000 Protected Mobility Vehicles. The vehicles covered under the PMETS contract include Mastiff, Wolfhound, Ridgback, Buffalo, Choker, RODET, Foxhound, Jackal, Coyote and Husky. Having been successfully delivering PMETS for five years, NP Aerospace is now perfectly placed to align the newly awarded CVSSP contract alongside PMETS using tried and tested procedures that have already gained the confidence of the UK MoD.

The UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, said: “We will deliver a state-of-the-art combat vehicle fleet, ensuring our soldiers are equipped with cutting-edge firepower, protection, and mobility”. She added: “This new contract will help to secure the future of these crucial capabilities, streamlining the processes involved in repairs and upgrades, while boosting UK economic growth at the same time.”  

Brigadier Matt Wilkinson from the Vehicle Support Team at Defence, Equipment and Support, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with NP Aerospace and I’m delighted that we are able to continue this partnership. Not only does it provide the best possible service to the Armed Forces, but it also aligns with the MOD’s future Land Industrial Strategy initiatives, including an evolution to Land Integrated Operating Services.”         

NP Aerospace has a presence in Canada, the US and the UK and exports products worldwide.

The company operates three advanced armour manufacturing facilities out of the UK and Canada to service customers in the US. An 80,000 sqft Advanced Armour Systems facility in Coventry houses its engineering, design, composites and armour manufacturing. 

Also located in Coventry, UK, is its extensive 30,000 sqft Vehicle Systems and Services facility enabling the delivery of full military vehicle integration, through life support services and repairs and refurbishments.