LRPV 6×6

History

The LRPV grew out of the Australian Army's Project Perentie, under which JRA Limited (Jaguar Rover Australia) of Moorebank, New South Wales built heavily re-engineered Land Rover 110-based 4×4 and 6×6 vehicles from 1987, all powered by Isuzu 3.9-litre four-cylinder diesels. In the late 1980s a specialised variant of the 6×6 - catalogued as 'Truck, Long Range Patrol, Light, Winch, MC2' - was developed to replace the SASR's ageing Series 2A-based long range patrol vehicles for patrolling remote regions of Australia. The Perentie variant table records 27 LRPVs built, with press reports counting 28-30 including two prototypes; 6×6 deliveries began in 1989.

The LRPV used the turbocharged Isuzu 4BD1-T (about 90 kW) in an open, cut-down three-crew body built for endurance rather than protection: a central ring mount took an M2 Browning .50-calibre machine gun or Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher, a MAG 58 was pintle-mounted at the front passenger position, and stowage for weeks of fuel, water and rations gave an operational range of around 1,600 km. A Suzuki dirt bike could be carried on the tailgate for scouting. Factory finish was the Australian Army's lustreless olive drab, with vehicles later painted in the three-colour Auscam disruptive scheme or theatre-appropriate desert shades.

The type's defining service came overseas. LRPVs deployed to Kuwait in 1998 for Operation Desert Thunder, and from November 2001 carried 1 SAS Squadron patrols hundreds of kilometres from Camp Rhino into the Afghan interior, where their ability to stay out for weeks without resupply proved ideal. The fleet also served in Iraq in 2003 during Operation Falconer. The vehicles' vulnerability to mines was shown in February 2002 when Sergeant Andrew Russell was killed by a mine strike - Australia's first fatality of the Afghanistan war - after which a Survival Enhancement Kit added belly armour and shock-absorbing seats; Tenix Defence overhauled the fleet again in 2005.

LRPVs returned to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group from 2006 before the Bushmaster and, from 2012, the Supacat HMT 'Nary' took over the special-operations mobility role, and the Perentie fleet as a whole gave way to Mercedes-Benz G-Wagens under Project Land 121. Retired examples are preserved, including a mine-damaged LRPV displayed at the Australian War Memorial and another at the Army Museum Bandiana. Uniquely among Australia's Land Rovers, the Perenties were JRA's own engineering programme rather than a Solihull product line, which is why the registry files them outside the Defender family.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

JRA Limited (Jaguar Rover Australia), Moorebank, New South Wales

Manufactured

Late 1980s-early 1990s (Perentie 6×6 programme; 6×6 deliveries from 1989)

Engine type

Isuzu 4BD1-T 3.9 L turbocharged inline-four diesel, ~90 kW (120 hp)

Production run

27 vehicles (Perentie variant table); press reports say 28-30 including two prototypes

Country of origin

Australia

Status

retired from ADF service (special-operations role passed to Supacat HMT from 2012); examples preserved

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Family

LRPV

Body style

none

Wheels

6

Roof

none

Base catalogue fields are exported from the Difflocked game. In-game physics values are arcade tuning, not certified historical measurements, and are deliberately not shown as specifications here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• Long Range Patrol Vehicle (development from the Perentie 6×6; crew 3; Isuzu turbo diesel 90 kW; M2/Mk 19 plus MAG 58; 1,600 km range; Suzuki motorbike; Kuwait 1998, Afghanistan 2001-02 and 2006-13, Iraq 2003; SEK after February 2002; replaced by Supacat HMT) ↗ — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09-09)
• Land Rover Perentie (JRA Limited, Moorebank NSW; introduced 1987; Isuzu 4BD1/4BD1-T; variant table: 'Truck, Long Range Patrol, Light, Winch, MC2 (LRPV) (27 Vehicles)'; replaced under Project Land 121) ↗ — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09-09)
• 'Perentie' 6x6 Long Range Patrol Vehicle Index (used exclusively by the SASR; MC2 6x6 chassis; M2HB or 40 mm AGL plus MAG 58; 2002 SEK anti-mine upgrade; 2005 Tenix overhaul) ↗ — WarWheels.net (accessed 2026-09-09)
• Ex-SAS six-wheel-drive Land Rover sells for huge sum at auction (28-30 built including two prototypes; 6×6 deliveries from 1989) ↗ — Drive (accessed 2026-09-09)
• Australian Army Vehicle Colour Schemes and Paint (Perentie factory finish in lustreless olive drab; Auscam three-colour scheme) ↗ — Registry of Ex-Military Land Rovers (REMLR) (accessed 2026-09-09)