Hi there mate,
I'm a Land Rover enthusiast, not an army man but I have owned several lightweights and my dad was in the army (he got me into them) - plus I'm a member of the ex-military Land Rover association. Before the lightweight was produced the army attempted to parachute drop Series 2 & 2A land rovers but they were mostly damaged upon landing, hence the requirement for a vehicle that could be airported by the Wessex helicopter. When the lightweight was stripped of all body panels, spare wheel and windscreen it was JUST on the limit of the Wessex payload (2500lbs.)
If you've seen knackered Landys in pallets then the ones that drove away were purely the lucky ones, not due to being built for such destruction. All military vehicles had stronger chassis than their civilian counterparts but as there was no civilian lightweight it is wrongly assumed it was built for being dropped - my 109 Series 3 FFR has a strengthened military chassis but it wasn't designed for being dropped out of helicopters.
Drinks are on you!
