Greek firm gives old military jeeps a modern makeover

ELVO, Greece’s main military vehicle manufacturer, has shown off the first Mercedes G-Class “jeeps” modernized under a new refit program built to extend the life of the Greek Army’s aging vehicle fleet rather than replace it outright. The vehicles being upgraded are roughly 30 years old.

ELVO is fitting a new engine and automatic transmission, electric air conditioning and a redesigned interior with adjustable, suspension-equipped seats. On the outside, the vehicles get 360-degree day and night camera systems, all-LED lighting, an anti-drone protection net, thermal and visual camouflage, reinforced windshields built to resist rioters, and mirrors that won’t shatter. The vehicles are built to U.S. and NATO-aligned military standards known as MIL-STD, and ELVO says they can also be configured to carry weapon systems.

The approach reflects a broader shift some militaries are making as vehicle budgets tighten. Rather than retiring an entire fleet and buying new replacements, ELVO is retrofitting vehicles already in service, vehicles it has direct experience with since it supplied more than 10,000 Mercedes 290GD and Mercedes 240 jeeps, along with over 12,000 Steyr trucks, to Greece and Cyprus over the decades.

“ELVO is redefining what military vehicle modernization can deliver,” said ELVO General Manager Antonis Vitetzakis. “By combining our deep engineering expertise with the latest technologies, we can bring existing fleets into the modern era, combining decades of operational service with new capabilities while maximizing the value of investments our customers have already made.”

ELVO, based in Thessaloniki, has spent more than 50 years building vehicles for the Greek military, including the Leonidas family of armored personnel carriers and Steyr-based trucks. The company also holds a certified production and assembly line for Leopard 2 HEL tanks, the Hellenic Army’s variant of the German-designed Leopard 2. In August 2025, Israeli-founded holding company SK Group acquired full ownership of ELVO, marking the group’s first operational base in Europe.

The G-Class refit lands amid a broader expansion at ELVO this year. In May 2026, Rheinmetall signed a memorandum of understanding with ELVO to assemble military trucks and specialized systems for the Hellenic Armed Forces. In September, ELVO said separately that it would invest 40 million euros, roughly $46 million, to expand its Sindos manufacturing plant and add drone production capacity, drawing on unmanned systems technology from SK Group, a project expected to create about 300 jobs.