UK Ministry of Defence, The Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced today the outcome of the trials to select the vehicle design or designs to go forward to the next stage of the FRES Utility Vehicle programme.
Baroness Taylor Minister for Defence Equipment and Support said:
“The trials were successfully completed on schedule but it is important that we get this decision right as the FRES programme has a vital role to play in the future of the Army. A technical recommendation has been produced and there will now be a brief period of work to clarify the commercial implications of the proposals, following which one vehicle will be announced as the preferred design to continue through to the next stage of the FRES programme.
“This is a significant achievement and builds on the progress we have already made including the recent selection of the Boeing-Thales team to lead the integration of systems across the FRES programme.”
The FRES Integrated Project Team Leader, Phil Riley said:
“Completion of the UV Trials on schedule is a significant step for the programme. Other achievements include the completion of the Initial Assessment Phase and the rapid completion of the System of Systems Integrator competition.
“Good progress has also been made with the competition for the Utility Vehicle Integrator role with Pre-Qualification Questionnaire responses due from Industry imminently. In addition, we have recently placed a number of scoping contracts with industry in advance of the formal launch of the Specialist Vehicle Assessment Phase in the New Year. These achievements are the product of the whole team's clear focus and absolute determination to deliver. We are now strongly placed to transition into Utility Vehicle demonstration.”
Background Information
1. The FRES programme will equip the UK Armed Forces with new medium weight armoured vehicles.
2. The Army's FRES requirement continues to be informed by operational experience, where the threats to our forces are constantly evolving. This operational experience means that FRES specifications will be matched as closely as possible to the needs of our troops both today and in the future.
3. The Utility Vehicle Design is one of a number of competitions that will be conducted as part of the competitive acquisition strategy for FRES. The second was the System of Systems Integrator (SOSI) role for which the announcement was made on 5 Oct that a Thales (UK)/Boeing team were the preferred bidders.
The next significant step will be the selection of one or more UV Integrators for which a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire was issued to industry on 31 October. Responses are due to be returned on 30 November. Further competitions will select the designs for other variants for roles such as reconnaissance, direct fire and engineering support.
