Call of Duty: Ford Ranger Super Duty pitched for defence

Ford has begun campaigning for defence contracts in North America and Europe, positioning the Ranger Super Duty as a global military vehicle.

Months after the Ranger Super Duty was launched in Australia, the vehicle is now being rolled out to other markets such as South Africa and Europe – but Ford believes the heavy-duty ute is also positioned well for government fleet and military applications.

“Beginning last year, several governments in North America and Europe engaged with Ford to discuss how our highly capable commercial vehicles and cutting-edge technologies could support their modern defence needs,” Ford said in a media release.

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“The logic is simple: Speed, scale, capability, and durability.”

After former Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic came up with the idea of the Ranger Super Duty alongside a colleague in 2018, Ford engineers in the US initially laughed at the prospect of a Ranger Super Duty – with only the F-250 and F-350 pickups receiving the ‘Super Duty’ badge in the past.

Now though, it seems the Blue Oval has recognised the value of a ‘mid-size’ ute with off-road capability and significant chassis upgrades.

“Traditional, purpose-built military hardware takes years to develop and costs billions. By using commercial, off-the-shelf solutions from Ford, governments can access world-class technology at a fraction of the time and cost,” the company said in the release.

“Security is a collaborative effort, and our international operations are central to this vision. The Ford Ranger, for example, is built and sold around the world, making it an ideal candidate for international defence cooperation.”

In November 2025, CarExpert asked the automaker whether it would consider signing a 20-year contract to supply the Australian Defence Force with Ranger Super Duty models for military use.

“The Ford Ranger Super Duty was designed with a diverse customer base and use case in mind. If the defence and security sector sees a benefit in its increased payload, towing, and off-road capability, we would be happy to work with them. However, we have no specific news to share in that area,” a spokesperson for Ford Australia said at the time.

“Ranger Super Duty comes to market as a result of extensive customer feedback from heavy-duty fleet operators revealed a gap in the market for a vehicle that met their needs without compromise.”

The Ranger Super Duty was conceived, designed, engineered, developed, and tested in Australia, with the ute receiving a thicker chassis with reinforced steel, cast aluminium suspension arms, and strengthened leaf springs, as well as heavy-duty differentials, driveshafts, and wheel hubs.

Brakes and cooling have also been upgraded, while a new long-range fuel tank is protected from punctures with 4mm of armour plating.

Under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 producing 154kW and 600Nm, with a 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive with selectable low-range gearing.

“Customers told us they wanted the size, dependability, safety, and agility of Ranger with the heavy-duty capability that comes with Super Duty, resulting in a new mid-size truck engineered to conquer extreme conditions and demanding workloads straight from the factory,” the Ford spokesperson told CarExpert in November.

“We are open to conversations with any and all organisations and customers who require a vehicle with this type of capability.”

If militaries in other parts of the world do choose the Ranger Super Duty for service, it could increase the chances of the Australian-developed ute being used by the ADF here.

Defence organisations often prefer equipment that has not only been proven elsewhere, but is also in use by allied nations, due to efficiencies with parts supplies, repairs, training, and transport during military exercises and operations.

“We are still in the early stages of this work,” Ford said this week.

“While we have not finalised any specific projects in the defence market, the dialogue with governments in North America and Europe remains productive.”

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