Rheinmetall-Mercedes Benz UK join hands for British Military’s Wolf Pack Vehicle.
Rheinmetall UK and Mercedes-Benz UK are joining forces to develop and support a new mobility capability for the British Army, bringing together expertise from the defence and automotive industries.
The companies announced their strategic partnership on 16 September 2026 as part of Team Wolf, their joint approach to meeting the Army’s future tactical mobility requirements under the Land Mobility Programme.
At its core, the partnership combines Mercedes-Benz vehicle technology with Rheinmetall UK’s experience in defence systems, military integration and programme delivery. The aim is not simply to provide vehicles, but to create a capability that can be supported, adapted and developed in Britain throughout its service life.
A major part of the plan will be based in Telford, where Rheinmetall’s facility operated through RBSL will become Team Wolf’s Vehicle Integration Centre.
Why Telford matters
The decision to make Telford the integration centre is significant because it puts a large part of the programme’s engineering and testing work inside the UK.
The centre will serve as the focal point for systems integration, testing and validation. In practical terms, this means vehicles and their associated military systems can be brought together and assessed to ensure they meet the requirements of the British Army.
The location also builds on capabilities that already exist in Telford. The site has an established role in UK land warfare programmes, including the manufacture of Boxer armoured vehicles for the British Army.
For Team Wolf, using an existing defence-industrial base means the new programme can build on established infrastructure, engineering expertise and skilled personnel rather than starting from scratch.
It also reflects a wider ambition to retain important technical knowledge and skills within Britain.
Rheinmetall’s Boxer IFV.
More than a vehicle programme
Team Wolf is being presented as a long-term industrial and military capability rather than simply a vehicle procurement exercise.
Modern military vehicles increasingly need to do much more than transport personnel and equipment. They must operate in demanding environments while supporting communications, specialist equipment, protection systems and other mission requirements.
That makes the integration of the vehicle with military systems a critical part of the process.
Rheinmetall’s role is therefore expected to extend beyond the underlying vehicle platform. Its defence expertise will be used to integrate the vehicles into a military environment and ensure that the resulting capability can evolve as operational requirements change.
Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, brings its experience as a global vehicle manufacturer and the established technology associated with its G-Class platform.
Olivier Reppert, CEO and Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars UK, pointed to the G-Class’s more than 45-year history, describing it as a platform known for strength, reliability and adaptability.
The partnership is intended to combine those automotive characteristics with Rheinmetall’s specialist defence knowledge.
Rheinmetall-Mercedes Benz UK join hands for British Military’s Wolf Pack Vehicle.
Aiming for up to 50% UK content
Another central feature of the Team Wolf proposal is its emphasis on British industry.
The programme is targeting up to 50% UK content, which could create opportunities for British suppliers and small and medium-sized enterprises across the defence and engineering sectors.
That ambition could have significance beyond the immediate vehicle programme. A stronger domestic supply chain can help preserve specialist skills, support skilled jobs and reduce dependence on overseas sources for parts, engineering and technical services.
Rheinmetall has previously committed publicly to sourcing approximately half of its UK tactical-vehicle content from British suppliers.
For the companies, the industrial argument is closely connected to military resilience. If key engineering and integration skills remain available in Britain, the Army has a stronger domestic foundation from which vehicles and their systems can be maintained and modified over many years.
What Team Wolf is trying to achieve
Rebecca Richards, Managing Director of Rheinmetall UK, said the partnership brought together organisations with complementary strengths and a shared ambition to provide an enduring mobility capability for the British Army.
She also highlighted the importance of Telford, saying that establishing the Vehicle Integration Centre there would put British engineering, integration expertise and skills at the centre of the delivery model.
The wider objective is to create a capability that can be supported and developed over the long term.
That could become increasingly important as military requirements change. Vehicles introduced today may need to accommodate new communications equipment, sensors, protection technologies or other systems during their operational lives.
A platform that can be upgraded and adapted without replacing the entire fleet can offer greater flexibility and potentially improve long-term value.
The Team Wolf partnership
The Team Wolf partnership represents an effort by two major global organisations to combine their respective strengths around a distinctly UK-focused delivery model.
For Mercedes-Benz, the opportunity is to bring its established vehicle technology into a military partnership. For Rheinmetall, it provides the basis for applying its defence integration and programme expertise to a broader mobility requirement.
For Britain, the proposed model places particular emphasis on where vehicles are integrated, tested, supported and developed.
With Telford designated as the Vehicle Integration Centre and a target of up to 50% UK content, Team Wolf is positioning itself as both a military mobility programme and an industrial investment in Britain’s defence capability.
The central idea is straightforward: one vehicle platform should be capable of supporting multiple roles, while common support arrangements make the fleet easier to sustain and develop.
If delivered as planned, the partnership could give the British Army not just a new generation of tactical mobility, but a UK-based industrial foundation intended to support that capability for decades.
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