MoD orders 200 Foxhound vehicles

The MoD has announced a £180m contract for 200 Light Protected Patrol Vehicles (LPPVs) for use in Afghanistan.

The Foxhound, formerly known as Ocelot, features tougher armour than its predecessor, the Snatch Land Rover, as well as a v-shaped hull to divert the force from improvised explosive devices.

It has been ordered to replace the controversial Snatch following a series of fatal IED strikes against British troops.

Its engine can be removed and replaced in 30 minutes and it can drive away from an ambush on only three wheels. Crew and passengers sit inside a protective pod, which can be quickly adapted to turn the vehicle into an ambulance or supply truck.

The first vehicles are expected to be available for training in 2011.

Chief of Defence Materiel General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue said:

"Procured as an Urgent Operational Requirement, this vehicle was designed specifically to protect against the threats faced by troops in Afghanistan – for example, its V-shaped hull will help it withstand the kinds of explosions caused by Taliban bombs.

"Able to operate in extreme temperatures and navigate difficult terrain whilst also providing high levels of protection, Foxhound is ideal for current operational needs – but is also a valuable addition to our range of vehicles and will serve our Armed Forces for many years to come.

"A lot of hard work has been put into making sure this vehicle is delivered to the frontline as quickly as possible and the signing of this contract represents excellent progress."

All of the vehicles will be built and supported in the UK creating or sustaining an estimated 750 jobs.

The vehicle is designed, developed and built by Force Protection Europe and Ricardo plc, together with Team Ocelot partners Thales, QinetiQ, Formaplex, DSG and Sula.

Construction of the vehicles will take place throughout the UK, with final assembly at Ricardo's facility in West Sussex.

Pentagon reveals nuclear secret

The United States has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile and "several thousand" more retired warheads awaiting the junk pile, the Pentagon said Monday in an unprecedented accounting of a secretive arsenal born in the Cold War and now shrinking rapidly.

The Obama administration disclosed the size of its atomic stockpile going back to 1962 as part of a campaign to get other nuclear nations to be more forthcoming, and to improve its bargaining position against the prospect of a nuclear Iran.

"We think it is in our national security interest to be as transparent as we can be about the nuclear program of the United States,"

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters at the United Nations, where she addressed a conference on containing the spread of atomic weapons.

The United States previously has regarded such details as top secret.

The figure includes both "strategic," or long-range weapons, and those intended for use at shorter range.

Chinook Helicopter

The Chinook is a tandem-rotored, twin engined medium-lift helicopter and first entered service with the RAF in 1982.

It has a crew of four (pilot, navigator and 2 x crewmen) and is capable of carrying 45 fully equipped troops or a variety of heavy loads up to approximately 10 tons.

The triple hook system allows greater flexibility in load carrying and enables some loads to be carried faster and with greater stability.

In the ferry configuration with internally mounted fuel tanks, the Chinook's range is over 1,600 km (1,000 miles). In the medical evacuation role the aircraft can carry 24 stretchers.

RAF Chinook aircraft have recently been upgraded to the HC2 standard. The first of the 32 aircraft being upgraded was delivered to the RAF in the Spring of 1993, with the remaining aircraft delivered during 1996. The HC2 upgrade, for which a total of £145 million was allocated, allows for the aircraft to be modified to the US CH-47D standard with some extra enhancements. These enhancements include fitting infra-red jammers, missile approach warning indicators, chaff and flare dispensers, a long-range fuel system and machine gun mountings.

This is a rugged and reliable aircraft.

During the Falklands War reports suggest that, at one stage, 80 fully equipped troops were carried in one lift and, during a Gulf War mission, a single Chinook carried 110 Iraqi POWs. The Chinook mid-life update will significantly enhance the RAF's ability to support the land forces during the next 25 years.

Analysts suggest that since 1 April 1990, the RAF Chinook fleet has flown some 60,000 hours during which time the operating costs (personnel, fuel and maintenance) have been £310 million, a figure that results in a cost of about £5,200 per flying hour.

On average, 27 of 31 aircraft have been available for front-line service at any one time, a figure reflecting the need for planned maintenance and servicing.

During 2003 the Chinook Night Enhancement Package (NEP) was installed in the HC2 fleet. The NEP was based upon experience gained during operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and allows Chinook aircraft to operate at night and in very low-light conditions, often at the limit of their capabilities.

HC2 aircraft are due to be phased out during 2010 and HC2A aircraft in 2015.

The RAF awaits the delayed entry into service of eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters configured for special operations.

Specifications
Crew 3 - 4
Fuselage Length 15.54m
Width 3.78m
Height 5.68m

Internal Payload
8,164kg
Rotor Diameter 18.29m
Cruising Speed 270 k/ph/158mph
Empty Weight 10,814kg
Service Ceiling 4,270m
Mission Radius (with internal and external load of 20,000kgs including fuel and crew) 55kms
Rear Loading Ramp Height 1.98m
Rear Loading Ramp Width 2.31m
Engines

2 x Avco Lycoming T55-712 turboshafts

Trojan Armoured Engineer Vehicle

Trojan can operate in extreme weather condition, either hot or cold, and in hazardous environments, yet the crew remain safe and comfortable because of the advanced air filtration and climate control system.

Trojan is a modern and capable Armoured Engineer Vehicle and is crewed by three Armoured Engineers.

Trojan's high speed cross country mobility, its technologically advanced vehicle control systems and its enhanced remote CCTV camera systems keep it operating at peak performance whether bounding between cover in the urban environment or advancing towards the enemy in open countryside. With its enormously capable excavator arm, mine plough and dozer blade, it is easy to move around the battle field to perform complex obstacle clearance tasks without the crew having to leave the protection of the Tank.

Trojan is capable of carrying out a wide range of roles, usually providing mobility for combat units on the battlefield whilst under fire from the enemy. With its excavator arm it can dig ditches and trenches and can clear or smash its way through all sorts of obstructions such as abandoned vehicles, rubble, fallen trees and buildings. It can also be fitted with a front-mounted, hydraulically controlled dozer blade that can excavate ditches, push heavy obstacles aside and construct protection for troops and vehicles.

With its technically advanced mine plough attached, it can clear a safe path through a mine field and simultaneously fire safe lane indicator markers into the ground to mark the safe route for friendly forces. Additionally, for mine clearance operations, Trojan can fire the 'Python', which is a rocket propelled explosive mine clearance system.

Python is essentially a long hose filled with over a ton of high explosives. The Python blasts a safe route through a mine field. Trojan can also drop fascines, which are bundles of very strong plastic pipes, into ditches and streams meaning that other vehicles may drive over.

Whilst the Trojan is primarily an engineer vehicle, it is fitted with a remote control machine gun and smoke grenade discharger, which enable the vehicle commander to provide covering fire and smoke to support extractions from enemy contact.

Weight: 62,500 kg
Maximum road speed: 59 kph
Road range: 450 km
Engine: Perkins CV12 diesel engine, David Brown TN54 enhanced low-loss gearbox and the OMANI cooling group. Auxilliary Power Unit (APU) is also fitted
Engine power: 1,200 bhp
Crew: 3
Armament: 1 x 7.62 mm machine gun, stowage for crewman-portable light anti-tank weapons, fitted with NBC protection system

New Husky failed blast test

Concerns are already growing over the new Husky armoured vehicle the MoD procured after it has emerged that it failed a blast test.

According to Richard North, author of "Ministry of Defeat", the Husky, manufactured by Navistar Defence, failed a US Army blast test a few years ago.

The US Army rejected the purchase of the Huskies after they failed the blast tests.

The MoD allegedly only learned of the test failures after it had signed a contract to procure 262 of the medium sized support vehicles.

Writing in the Yorkshire Post, North was highly critical of the procurement deal, arguing that the Husky is little more than a glorified American sport utility vehicle.

Navistar describes the vehicle as a

"sleek and dominant truck geared for the image truck market, a growing niche of truck owners who want to make a powerful statement about who they are."

This is hardly a description of a vehicle you would want to drive in Afghanistan.

But in order for the vehicles to meet the British Army requirements, they have had to undergo a number of extensive upgrades which has raised the price to £600,000 each. In total the MoD is spending over £150m on the vehicles.

North describes the vehicle as "civilian" and said that the MoD was having armoured "bolted on".

Husky vehicles will be used as ambulances, utility vehicles and command posts. MoD officials have said they will be used in lower risk areas.

British Aerospace is expected to be awarded the contract to up-armour the vehicles.What a surprise.

However given the MoD's recent history of vehicle procurement problems with the Jackal, Vector and Viking, the Husky could soon become a problematic and dangerous vehicle as well.

The Taliban have recently begun using far more powerful IEDs built through a mixture of fertiliser and mines or shells.

Credits:
Richard North: "Ministry of Defeat" Click here for details

This article first appeared in the Yorkshire Post and Defence Management

Heavy Machine Gun (HMG)

The powerful L1A1 12.7 mm (.50) Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) is an updated version of the Browning M2 'Fifty-cal' - recognised as one of the finest heavy machine guns ever developed.

The HMG provides integral close-range support from a ground mount tripod or fitted to a Land Rover using the Weapon Mount Installation Kit (WMIK) and a variety of sighting systems. The performance of the HMG has recently been enhanced with a new 'soft mount' (to limit recoil and improve accuracy) and a quick-change barrel (QCB).

The HMG provides the commander with added capability at greater ranges (1500-2000m) when support from armoured vehicles is not available.

Fact file:
Calibre 12.7 mm
Weight 38.15 kg (gun only)
Length 1,656 mm
Muzzle velocity 915 m/s
Feed 50-round disintegrating belt
Effective range 2,000 m
Cyclic rate of fire 485 - 635 rounds per minute

General Purpose Machine Gun

The L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) is a 7.62 x 61mm belt-fed general purpose machine gun which can be used as a light weapon and in a sustained fire (SF) role.

In the SF role, mounted on a tripod and fitted with the C2 optical sight, it is fired by a two-man team who are grouped in a specialist Machine Gun Platoon to provide battalion-level fire support. In SF mode, the GPMG, with a two-man crew, lays down 750 rounds-per-minute at ranges up to 1,800 meters.

The GPMG can be carried by foot soldiers and employed as a light machine gun (LMG), although it has largely been replaced by the lighter 5.56 x 45mm Minimi in this role in most regiments. A fold-out bipod is used to support the GPMG in the LMG role.

Fact file:
Versions of the GPMG are mounted on most Army vehicles and some helicopters.
Calibre 7.62 mm
Weight 13.85 kg (gun plus 50-round belt)
Length 1,230 mm (light role)
Barrel length 629 mm
Muzzle velocity 838 m/s
Feed 100-round disintegrating link belt
Effective range 800 m light role, 1,800 m sustained fire role
Cyclic rate of fire 750 rounds per minute