UK MOD delays FRES decision

Britain has postponed a decision to select an armored vehicle for the utility element of its Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme. Defence Procurement Minister Baroness Taylor said the Ministry of Defence (MOD) wanted more time to consider the commercial aspects of potential deals.

Taylor’s predecessor, Lord Drayson, had set a 20 November deadline for a decision on whether the ARTEC Boxer, General Dynamics Piranha or Nexter VBCI would be chosen to equip the British army with a new generation of utility armoured vehicles.

Lord Drayson resigned earlier in November, leaving the decision open.

ARTEC Boxer: FRES Utility Vehicle contender

GD UK Piranha: FRES Utility Vehicle contender

Nexter VBCI: FRES Utility Vehicle contender

The vehicle designs had undergone intense trials last summer. Now the government has decided that while it knows what it wants technically, it doesn’t have sufficient information on the terms and conditions being offered by the rival contenders to make a decision.

“The trials were successfully completed on schedule,” Taylor said in a statement, “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.

Taylor said the work would be undertaken over the “next few weeks.” Industry sources said a decision could be delayed by about three months.

The FRES programme is aimed at providing the British army with a highly protected, air-portable family of five vehicle types covering roles such as utility, reconnaissance, fire support and maneuver support.

The 8x8 wheeled utility variant is scheduled to be the first type to enter service in 2012, followed by a tracked reconnaissance vehicle.

Overall, vehicle numbers are expected to total more than 3,000, with the utility variant accounting for around 2,000. Recently, though, industry sources have said the MOD appears to be considering buying fewer vehicles, part of a series of equipment programme cuts aimed at balancing the books at the ministry.

An initial order with as few as 700 utility vehicles is now being regularly talked about in industry circles. Originally, program costs were estimated to be around 16 billion pounds ($33 billion), but that figure is now likely to have fallen.

Source: A. Chuter - DefenseNews

Related Defence Supplier Guidance

• Programme Overview: UK MOD Future Rapid Effect System (FRES)

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