The terms Jeep, Land Rover and light utility vehicle (LUV) - the latter being the military/industry preference - may have remained a constant over the years, but the demand being placed on the current crop of LUVs is such that in terms of size and capability many of the latest designs could hardly be recognised as descendants of that original LUV: the Willys Jeep. One of the largest current LUV procurements is the UK Defence Procurement Agency's (DPA's) Operational Utility Vehicle System (OUVS) programme, which was launched in 2003. The programme will replace the army's Land Rover and Reynolds Boughton RB-44 fleets and most of the Pinz-gauer fleet, but with a current zero to 6,000 kg payload the range may also encompass lighter vehicles such as motorcycles and quad bikes. Informed sources suggest a more likely starting point for OUVS will be the Truck Utility Light, the Land Rover Defender 90, and say that the 6,000 kg upper limit will be reduced to around 4,000 kg so as not to overlap with the Support Vehicle programme.
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