Military vehicle manufacturer North Defence has today announced the formation of North Strong, a new joint venture with long-standing supply chain partner Strongs Plastic Products.
The move – which will significantly expand UK-based production capacity for light mobility vehicles (LMVs) – represents a major step forward in delivering sovereign, scalable manufacturing capability, ahead of the British Army’s upcoming Land Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme.
Operating from a dedicated production facility in Tamworth, North Strong will focus on the manufacture of North Defence’s battlefield-proven co-polymer vehicle bodies – a critical component underpinning the performance, survivability, and adaptability of modern light mobility platforms.
The partnership brings together two established, family-led engineering businesses with deep roots in British manufacturing.
Midlands-based Strongs – founded in 1978 by the late Barry Strong and now led by second-generation James Strong – has built a solid reputation for high-performance polymer engineering. North Defence, founded by former Royal Engineer, Oliver North, has rapidly emerged as one of Europe’s most agile and innovative LMV specialists, with Oliver invited to speak at NATO earlier this summer on the very topic of agility. The two businesses have worked closely alongside each other since 2023.
Together, the companies now aim to deliver unprecedented production scale and speed, ensuring that UK forces and allied customers can access rapidly deployable, mission-ready vehicles built on a range of OEM platforms.
The announcement coincides with the introduction of the North Defence LMV MKIII, a next-generation vehicle designed to be built on multiple base chassis, including Toyota, Ford, INEOS Grenadier and Mercedes-Benz platforms – all utilising the North Strong body.
By decoupling military capability from a single OEM, the result is faster procurement cycles, greater supply chain resilience and even more flexibility across operational environments.
Each LMV MKIII integrates the North Strong lightweight co-polymer body, alongside upgraded suspension systems, run-flat wheel assemblies, auxiliary power systems, blackout capability, and advanced thermal imaging, to deliver a highly capable, stealth-optimised platform for modern operations.
The creation of North Strong reflects a broader strategy by North Defence into its UK footprint, including its Yorkshire production facility, as it positions itself to support future Ministry of Defence requirements.
Speaking of the latest venture, CEO Oliver North said: “This is about delivering real, sovereign capability, not just intent.
“For years, we’ve evolved our vehicles at a pace traditional primes struggle to match, because our model allows us to respond immediately to changing battlefield demands. North Strong now gives us the ability to scale that agility – rapidly, reliably, and here in the UK – across multiple platforms. It proves we’re a key industrial partner within the LMV ecosystem and it ensures we’re ready to deliver when the Army needs it most.”
Strongs’ managing director James Strong added: “This is a golden opportunity for us to take what we have learned over the decades, to better help and support UK and NATO forces in these troubled times. Strongs has always prided itself on innovation in the use of polymers and we see this as another opportunity to develop and grow our capabilities in a new market sector with the help of North Defence.”
North Defence maintains a prominent Trans-European presence with a dual footprint split between its Luxembourg and British production facilities.
North Strong is the trading name for North Strong Defence Limited, as incorporated at Companies House.
For media enquiries, please contact Katie Mallinson on 07751 615110 or klm@north-defence.com.