The major armed forces in Europe have established an essentially similar requirement for new armoured transport and utility vehicles that will be required to enter service early in the next century. To this end the British, French and German governments are working in close co-operation at specification level and to meet their needs two international consortia have been formed.
Each of the German-based competing consortia has a major British defence manufacturer as national prime contractor. GKN Defence of Telford is partnered by the German manufacturers Krauss Maffei, MaK and Wegmann plus GIAT Industries of France and trades as ARbeitsGEmeinschaft (ARGE) GTK. Vickers Defence of Newcastle in co-operation with Alvis of Coventry are part of the TEchnology for Armoured Mobility (TEAM) International GTK partnership that includes Henschel and Kuka of Germany and Panhard of France.

Both contenders have produced wooden mock-ups based on a 6x6 configuration, rear-exit vehicle with a roof-mounted, remotely operated machine gun.
Precise details and specifications of the competing vehicles have been closely guarded because each represents new designs, although proven features from wheeled armoured vehicles currently produced by member companies have been incorporated. Mock-ups and limited information made public, indicate that TEAM International has proposed a single-chassis, capacious vehicle that can be internally rigged to suit differing roles. In contrast, ARGE GTK is proposing an armoured chassis-cab design with an inter changeable armoured mission module. To alleviate possible space constrictions when being used in certain roles, an 8x8 version extended by 650mm will be available.
In April 1997 both German prime contractors submitted proposals to their Ministry of Defence for the GTK (Gepanzertes Transport Kraftfahrzeug) programme. Finalised costings were provided in October and a decision is expected imminently if the original delivery date of 2002 is to be met. The initial order will be for two hundred vehicles plus similar quantities being ordered by other participating nations, but it is anticipated that production could rise eventually to several thousand units. In Germany, the GTK's primary role will be to replace the M113 fleet of tracked armoured personnel carriers. To meet current operational Bundeswehr requirements, two upgraded Fuchs vehicles are being evaluated. A further 48 of the super Fuchs will be ordered if the trials are successful.
The GTK personnel carrier and command variants will be configured to accept a 7.62mm machine gun, a 12.7mm machine gun and a 4Omm grenade launcher, operated remotely from under full armoured protection. Its required payload is five tonnes and an internal usable volume in excess of 11m3 is desired to allow a fully equipped ten-man infantry squad plus driver to be carried in comfort for prolonged periods.
The British Army has a requirement for approximately 2,000 multi-role armoured vehicles (MRAV) of which more than half will be of wheeled configuration and of similar specification to Germany's GTK. Wheeled MRAV, that should be of modular construction, will replace outdated members of the FV432 family of tracked armoured vehicles and some specialist team variants of the CVR(1) family such as Spartan, Samson, Sultan and Samaritan. The vehicle should be capable of participating in sustained day and night operations over wide-ranging terrain and in all climatic conditions.

The British FV342, another vehicle likely to be replaced by the MRAV.

It is anticipated that Britain will require over 1,000 vehicles configured primarily for personnel-carrier or command-post roles but also including ambulance, mortar carrier, communications and repair/recovery variants. Personnel carrier and command vehicles will have a one-man turret mounting a 7.62mm chain gun. The proposed in-service date is 2007, deliveries to commence in 2005. Unlike its wheeled companion, the British tracked MRAV will be primarily a national design. Operating at the forward edge of battle alongside Challenger main battle tanks and Warrior infantry combat vehicles, it will need to have better armour protection and off-road ability than wheeled MRAVs.

The French vehicule blinde de combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) programme has similar requirements to VTK/MRAV but for some roles a 25mm canon turret is specified rather than a machine gun. During 1997 the French government ran a parallel evaluation programme based on nationally produced alternative vehicles but subsequently confirmed its intention to rejoin the GTK/MRAV programme as a full partner. GIAT Industries, Renault and Panhard submitted proposals that they felt better suited the French specification requirements than GTK/MRAV but the French office of defence procurement decided to pursue the programme with Britain and Germany with the proviso that France should have a role in development and production in proportion to its offtake.