DTN News: Britain ~ ‘Urgent’ New Troop Carriers Get To War Zone 6 Months Late

DTN News: Britain ~ ‘Urgent’ New Troop Carriers Get To War Zone 6 Months Late

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including DailyMail.co.uk By Christopher Leake

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 15, 2010: A fleet of life-saving armoured vehicles is to be sent to Afghanistan nearly six months late because their armour was not thick enough to protect soldiers against roadside bombs.

Gordon Brown promised the much-needed Warthogs would be on frontline duty with the Royal Dragoon Guards in Helmand Province by April.

But the all-terrain vehicles failed blast tests. Nine were blown up at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit at Bovington in Dorset. Experts decided the troop carriers needed an extra two tons of armour.

The MoD says the Warthogs are now 'operationally fit' and pass all tests required. The first of the vehicles will be in Afghanistan by September

The MoD says the Warthogs are now ‘operationally fit’ and pass all tests required. The first of the vehicles will be in Afghanistan by September.

The last Government ordered 115 Warthogs two years ago from Singapore Technologies Kinetics in a £150 million deal, part of an Urgent Operational Requirement, when Treasury money is secured for new threats.

They replace the much-criticised, lighter Viking vehicles, which are vulnerable to the Taliban’s improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The 12-ton Viking Mark I vehicles are being withdrawn from service in Afghanistan after almost a quarter of the 108 there were blown up. A further 27 are too damaged to return to the front line.

Among nine British servicemen killed by bombs while in Vikings was Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. He was the most senior British Army officer to die on the front line since the Falklands War.

*Link to this article from source; "Britain ~ ‘Urgent’ New Troop Carriers Get To War Zone 6 Months Late - DailyMail.co.uk By Christopher Leake"

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: BAE Systems Receives French Order For BvS10 MK II All-Terrain Vehicles

DTN News: BAE Systems Receives French Order For BvS10 MK II All-Terrain Vehicles *Source: DTN News / BAE Systems (NSI News Source Info) ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Sweden - December 27, 2009: BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) - French Armament Procurement Agency - for 53 BvS10 MkII vehicles, a new and improved version of the all-terrain vehicle in service with the Dutch and British armed forces. With options, the total value of the contract could reach €220 million for 129 vehicles. The BvS-10 is the successor to the wildly popular Bv206, 11,000 of which have been sold to 40 countries around the world – including the USA (M978). It is in use in both Britain and the Netherlands as a key armored vehicle for their respective Marines, and is under evaluation elsewhere. Singapore has developed and manufactured an improved variant of its own called the Bronco ATTC, and Finland and Norway also have their own local Bv-206 variants. The contract is for three variants - troop carrier, command post and logistic vehicle - together with a comprehensive through-life support package. The project will be run in close cooperation with French partners, such as Panhard and EADS and deliveries are to commence 2010. "The French requirements were very challenging and so it was particularly rewarding to win this contract," said Jan Söderström, managing director for BAE Systems' Vehicles business. "The contract acknowledges the high performance and strong market position of our battle-proven BvS10 and secures the continued development of the vehicle." More than 35 years' experience of articulated vehicle design and production in Örnsköldsvik, and in-theatre experience from countries like Afghanistan and Chad, has fed into development of the BvS10. "The MkII version of the BvS10 completely fulfils the French Army's requirements in terms of protection, mobility and payload while maintaining the flexibility to perform across the spectrum of military operations," says Söderström. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defense, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.

DTN News: BAE Wins U.K. Deal For 24 Viking Vehicles

DTN News: BAE Wins U.K. Deal For 24 Viking Vehicles *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, UK - September 30, 2009: BAE Systems has secured its first order for an upgraded Viking all-terrain vehicle with a deal to supply 24 to the British military. The Sept. 29 announcement comes 24 hours after rival all-terrain vehicle contractor ST Kinetics rolled out the first of the similar Warthog machines also ordered for the military here. Viking (BvS10) is a fully amphibious armoured all-terrain vehicle, which consists of two tracked vehicle units linked by a steering mechanism. The UK Ministry of Defence ordered 108 Vikings from BAE Systems, Land Systems Hagglunds (formerly Alvis Hagglunds), in three variants – Troop Carrier (TCV), Command Vehicle (CV) and repair Recovery Vehicle (RCV). The 24 million pound ($38.2 million) deal to supply the Viking Mk II will see the vehicle delivered to the Ministry of Defence in early 2010 and deployed to British forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan by spring. The vehicles are primarily an attrition buy to replace Viking Mk1s damaged in theater, including a number lost to roadside bombs. Twenty two of the BvS10 Mk II vehicles, developed and built in BAE's Swedish factory at Ornskoldsvik, will be the troop-carrying variant and two will be in command vehicle configuration. The upgraded vehicles have better protection, a more powerful engine, more electrical power and other improvements compared with the Mk1. A spokeswoman for the MoD said the entire Viking fleet, including the new vehicles, will be returned to the Royal Marines for operations outside Afghanistan once ST Kinetics' Warthog machines are available in theater in sufficient numbers. The spokeswoman declined to say how many Vikings had been damaged beyond repair or when they would be entirely withdrawn from the country. The Vikings were originally operated only by the Royal Marines, but the vehicles' all-terrain capabilities have seen them adopted by Army units fighting in Afghanistan. In a statement, BAE said the MoD has acquired 166 Vikings, of which around 50 have been used in Afghanistan by the Royal Marines and other units. But when the MoD started looking for an urgent operational requirement procurement of a vehicle with greater protection and higher payload than the Viking Mk1, it turned to Singapore-based ST Kinetics for its Warthog rather than acquire the up-rated BAE machine. ST Kinetics secured a 150 million pound contract from the United Kingdom late last year to purchase slightly more than 100 vehicles. The first production standard Warthog, a version of the Bronco vehicle, rolled out from the Singapore production line Sept 28. The British will take delivery of the first Warthog before the end of the year and the first vehicle is expected to be deployed in Afghanistan by mid-2010. As part of the deal, Thales UK will be integrating communications, electronic warfare and other equipment on the Warthog at a factory in the United Kingdom. Earlier in September, the government committed to speeding up delivery of Warthogs. Details of how that will be achieved have yet to be made public. One of the methods expected to be adopted is flying the vehicles to the U.K. for fitting out rather than transporting them by sea. The Viking Mk II and its Singaporean rival are now head-to-head in a competition to meet a French requirement for 129 vehicles. An announcement on a winner is expected by the end of the year.

MRAP And Viking (BvS10) Compatible Combatant Vehicles For Terrain In Afghanistan

MRAP And Viking (BvS10) Compatible Combatant Vehicles For Terrain In Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) February 25, 2009: Afghanistan is SUV country. Heavier vehicles, like armored ones, run into lots of problems. Afghanistan is generally roadless, and contains numerous deserts, hills and mountains. Most of the roads are dirt, often just tracks across plains and hills. This situation is bad for trucks and wheeled armored vehicles. American and NATO troops have found that the best way to get across this terrain is with tracked vehicles. Canada, for example, first sent it's wheeled LAV armored vehicles along with its troops. The LAVs had a hard time with all the nasty terrain. So Canada sent some Leopard tanks, and suddenly the troops had combat vehicles that could get around quickly and easily. But there still remained the problem of getting supplies moved without vehicles getting stuck or flipping over. The solution, it turned out, was again, tracked vehicles. The British Royal Marines brought with them unarmored Bv206 (which can carry 2.5 tons over any terrain. including snow and most marshland) tracked vehicles.

The larger BvS10 can haul five tons. The BvS10 is actually an articulated vehicle, with a tracked trailer connected by a power transfer and steering linkage. The front part weighs 4.9 tons, the rear part 3.1 tons.

Because of this trailer arrangement, the vehicle has a 47 foot turning radius. Four passengers can be carried in the front car, and eight on the rear one. The vehicle is amphibious and has a top speed in the water of five kilometers an hour (compared to 65 kilometers an hour on land.) The vehicle are Swedish, and built to cope with the marshes and mountains the country is full of, as well as deep snow. The Royal Marines mainly got the Viking for amphibious operations, as well as logistics and carrying troops in combat zones. The Viking is also able to move through swampy terrain, as well as snow. It's well suited for Afghanistan, where they can be lifted by a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, or a C-130 transport. Lifting the two sections of the vehicle separately, the smaller Merlin helicopter can move the vehicle. Last year, the Royal Marines got 108 armored, "Viking" (BvS10) all terrain combat vehicles, at a cost of $890,000 each. They used these vehicles, armored versions of the Bv206, in combat for the first time in Afghanistan, and were well satisfied with the performance, and protection, the vehicles provided. Canadian troops also used Bv206s for moving supplies, and discovered that the light ground pressure created by the wide tracks, tended to go over landmines without detonating them. The light ground pressure was designed for allowing the vehicle to move over snow. Success of the Bv206 in Afghanistan has led to more sales to the Royal Marines, and interest from several other countries. The Bv206 widely employed for civilian uses, from Antarctica to the tropics.

BAE Systems Receives UK Order For Additional BvS10 VIKINGS

BAE Systems Receives UK Order For Additional BvS10 VIKINGS

(NSI News Source Info) ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Sweden - February 18, 2009: BAE Systems has received an additional order for the armoured all-terrain vehicle BvS10 VIKING from the British Ministry of Defence (MoD). The contract is for nine vehicles, seven of the troop-carrying variant and two in command vehicle configuration. The vehicles are being ordered to maintain the capability in theatre. It follows a contract from December 2008 which added mine protection to the current fleet of BvS10 VIKINGs currently in service with the British MoD.

The BvS 10 is an All Terrain Armoured Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Hagglunds of Sweden. This vehicle, referred to as Viking by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hagglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on behalf of the Royal Marines. The latest vehicles will be built to the same MkI configuration build standard which includes the new mine protection kit. “This contract recognises the performance the BvS10 VIKING delivers to the troops in theatre. It is key to us as a company to meet user needs, and the upgraded variant will meet those requirements,” says Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, director of marketing and sales at BAE Systems Hägglunds. The first vehicle in the contract is anticipated to be delivered directly from stock in February and the whole contract is expected to be delivered during the first quarter of 2009. The mine protection upgrades will be fitted following manufacture of the base vehicles. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US$ $31.4 billion) in 2007.