Army's £700 million vehicle boost

THE Government has announced an emergency £700 million order for 700 specialised vehicles to combat the threat from the new tactics and vastly improved weaponry of the Taliban. 

The vehicles include upgraded Vixen Land Rovers to replace the old Snatch Land Rovers developed originally for Northern Ireland. Troops have found them vulnerable to new rockets and roadside bombs.

These bombs have been taking a steady toll of British patrol trucks and carriers in Helmand province since the beginning of the year and at an Army briefing today the threat was described as "serious".

Contracts are to be placed for all the vehicles by Christmas. Favoured contractors now in discussion for orders include Thales UK, Babcock, Bae, and JCB which has built new armoured diggers for the US forces.

The vehicles are to be bought under the Urgent Operational Requirement scheme. The £700 million will pay for the trucks and carriers but not for spares and maintenance facilities. The move follows a study which indicated that the Taliban has been receiving expert training, as well as new weaponry from Iran.

It comes at a time when the MoD's equipment budget is under review with some expectation of programmes being slashed or slowed down. "We want to ensure that the British force is fully equipped," a senior officer today. "And we can do it as long as we have the present numbers of just over 8,000. If the force changes, we may have to do more."