Problems with UK FRES project ?

[Super Nimrod]

Where have we heard this sort of thing before

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6380759.stm

I have some sympathy with them as it would be plain daft to bring along a new project without incorporating some of the learnings from Iraq & Afghanistan. It does sound like there is something of a technology gap between what they wanted and what is technically possible as well.

 

[TrangleC]

Interesting.
I recently did read something about how the UK withdraw from the MRAV/Boxer project they had initiated together with Germany (http://www.army-technology.com/projects/mrav/) to develop a lighter troop transport vehicle instead, only to realize now that a heavily protected thing like the MRAV/Boxer would be just what they need now in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

[swerve]

Interesting.
I recently did read something about how the UK withdraw from the MRAV/Boxer project they had initiated together with Germany (http://www.army-technology.com/projects/mrav/) to develop a lighter troop transport vehicle instead, only to realize now that a heavily protected thing like the MRAV/Boxer would be just what they need now in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Yes, it would be very useful - but it isn't in service anywhere yet.

 

[TrangleC]

Well, maybe it would be if the UK wouldn't have withdawn 3 years ago. The price per piece would be lower and so i guess the parliaments of the involved nations would have approved the purchase faster and the whole process wouldn't have been delayed by the Dutch, who considered to jump off the project too, after the costs for the project were calculated and announced, but later decided to stick with it.

 

[Maskirovka]

According to this article http://allehanda.se/avdelning/ornskoldsvik/2701 (in swedish) BAe Hägglunds SEP is competing with vehicles from USA, France, Italy and Finland. Don´t know if that is true, wich vehicles could it be? american/canadien/swizz LAV/Stryker/Mowag, french VBCI, italien Centauro and finnish AMV?
I would assume the Boxer is also in the race.

The swedish BAe Hägglunds SEP
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/sep/
http://www.baesystems.se/Hagglunds/stdpage.asp?Pid=12
http://www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/landa_hagg_product_sep.html
http://www.haggve.se/Hagglunds/ReadMore.asp?Pid=2&id=245

 

[whicker_wobbler]

MRAV Boxer definately a good AFV thing!

The UK decision to withdraw from the Boxer Programme was crass, ill thought out and a waste of millions of the taxpayers money, without even thinking of the protected mobility advantage that UK Army has lost post 2008 until FRES arrives in some form or other. Should we have stayed in the programme the first 300 APC and Command Post would been arriving next next year at around half the cost of what the German and Dutch MODs are now paying. Not bad for a vehicle as well protected and mobile as a 'Base level' Warrior capable of travelling 1000km on a tank of AVTUR and able to go at 70mph on the main road. UK MRAVs were capable of deployment by A400M (1) and C-17 (2), weighing in at 30-32 tonnes depending upon configuration with 99% internal stowage and collective protection for 48hours for the two crew and 8man infantry section.

Four UK prototypes were completed, tested and then transferred to the German and Dutch MOD for a 'bargain price', that would make you cry pre-UK withdrawal. These are now involved in the full range of qualification and testing trials managed by OCCAR on behalf of the GE and NL MOD.

There are some cracking pictures of the ex-UK PTs in action around on the internet, take a look.

Who is the ultimate loser following UK withdrawal in 2003, certainly not the Germans and Dutch that is for sure!