Britain Buying New Land Vehicles for Iraqi & Afghan Theaters

Blind guard-dog?Britain’s ‘Mastiff PPV’(click to view full) In July 2006, UK Defence Secretary Des Browne has unveiled a package of new equipment to help protect UK Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan following an urgent armored vehicles review he had ordered in June 2006. The UK Ministry of Defence had previously spent over GBP 527 million on Urgent Operational Requirement force protection supplementals for Iraq and Afghanistan, as detailed in this release. Three types of vehicles were covered by that purchase – Pinzgauer’s Vector troop transport truck, upgrades to create the FV430 Mk3 Bulldog tracked armored personnel carrier, and the Cougar family of mine-resistant patrol vehicles. Additional orders for Cougar family and Bulldog vehicles would follow. Supacat’s “Jackal” all-terrain wheeled vehicle would supplement these choices, and its off-road capabilities were seen as being especially valuable in Afghanistan. Despite these efforts, the UK MoD has faced sharp criticism, and endured several senior officer resignations, connected with its overall vehicle fleet’s lack of protection. In November 2008, therefore, it unveiled a GBP 700 million second phase effort to buy mine-clearance vehicles, upgraded BvS10 tracked all-terrain vehicles, and a wide variety of support and ancillary vehicles that can keep up with the other protected […]