In military land vehicles there is a permanent and increasing need for networked information technology that will enable better situational awareness and faster, more efficient and precise effects to be achieved by the crew during missions. There are a number of national projects underway that aim to standardise certain information technology features in order to manage complexity and provide a coordinated approach to future procurement and whole life equipment support. Recognising these, and following previous EDA land vehicle studies, it was decided that a study of the technical and financial aspects of a common European Land Vehicle approach to Mission System open architecture would be worthwhile; focussing on the mission systems of typical vehicles to be used by participating member countries. The LAVOSAR project was conceived for this purpose and let to Rheinmetall as prime contractor leading a multi-national team.