Ford Motor (F) plans to expand sales of Ranger pickup trucks for military use across NATO countries as it competes for a 2 billion pounds ($2.70 billion) contract to supply next-generation light mobility vehicles to the British Army, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

The report quoted Ford's European chief Jim Baumbick as saying in an interview that there is a broader opportunity to develop military vehicles with common parts that can be shared across NATO allies, making fleets more interoperable.

Ford is partnering with General Dynamics Land Systems and UK engineering group Ricardo to bid for the UK Ministry of Defense program, which will replace aging Land Rover and Pinzgauer fleets, the report said.

A contract award is expected next spring, with the initial tranche valued at about 750 million pounds.

Ford did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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