(NSI News Source Info) February 3, 2009: The 1,000th Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle to be repaired, rebuilt and upgraded at Shropshire's Defence Support Group (DSG) Donnington workshop will be put through its paces this month before returning to active front-line duty.
Stripped down to every last nut and bolt and then meticulously repaired and rebuilt, each Warrior is upgraded to the latest standard of equipment and protection before being re-painted and sent back to Army units in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The FV510 Warrior tracked vehicle family, are a series of British armoured vehicles originally developed to replace the older FV430 series of armoured vehicles. The Warrior started life as the MCV-80 project that was first broached in the 1970s, GKN Sankey winning the production contract in 1980. GKN Sankey is now a part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. The Warrior has the speed and performance to keep up with a Challenger 2 main battle tank over the most difficult terrain, and also possesses the firepower and armour to support infantry in the assault.
"These vehicles leave Donnington better-than-new," said DSG's Chief Executive, Archie Hughes. "The repair and maintenance team here is utterly committed to the safety and protection of the soldiers on the front-line and puts everything into turning these vehicles – often damaged because of accident or enemy action – into ultra-modern, finely-tuned fighting machines."
Major General Alan Macklin, the Army’s Armoured Fighting Vehicles Group Leader said;
“Since it came into service over 20 years ago, Warrior has been the backbone of the British Army’s armoured infantry’s capability and has seen service in all the major conflicts in which the British Army has been engaged.
Frequently adapted to deal with new threats and opportunities, Warrior will continue to be a stalwart for the British Army for many years to come.
Many Warriors have been through the workshop twice or more, and the 1,000th vehicle going through base overhaul is a watershed for all at Donnington who have been working on the overhaul, repair and upgrade of these Infantry Fighting Vehicles.
The commitment and dedication of the workforce is truly impressive and is appreciated by many including by me and by those currently deployed on operations. It is, perhaps, appropriate that on my last day in post as Armoured Fighting Vehicle Group Leader I should be here with the Defence Support Group paying tribute to their workforce and to this platform which is one of the key vehicles saving the lives of our soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan today."
Among the Warriors to be repaired at Donnington was the one that Private Johnson Beharry of the 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment drove in May 2004 when, in acts of remarkable gallantry in Iraq, he saved the lives of several colleagues and earned the Victoria Cross.
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