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

Updated: May 2008

The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) is the UK's new transformational armoured vehicle system, meant to fulfill many of the same kinds of roles as the US Stryker family of armoured wheeled vehicles and/or the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Manned Ground Vehicle family.

FRES came to the fore after Britain pulled out of the MRAV Boxer Infantry Fighting Vehicle project, which Germany and the Netherlands are still pursuing. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) FRES Integration Project Team (IPT) notes that:

The FRES programme will provide the British Army with a family of medium-weight, network-enabled, air-deployable armoured vehicles to meet up to 16 battlespace roles.

FRES will be the central pillar of a capable and highly deployable medium force which will be able to project power rapidly world-wide, complementing our existing heavy and light forces.

The key drivers are the need for a rapid effect land capability, the ability to meet a wide number of operational roles, maximum interoperability with other UK forces and our allies, and addressing the obsolescence of existing vehicles. It is a challenging project, faced with the conundrum of balancing capability, affordability and early delivery.

The similarly-tasked U.S. Future Combat Systems program is led and managed by Boeing and SAIC rather than a military office, with military reviews playing a role at various pre-decided stage gates. The UK has adopted an analogous approach by installing a Systems House (SH) to lead the initial Assessment Phase (iAP). Under the UK MOD approach, the SH had to be independent of product or manufacturing capability.

The crucial Systems House (SH) contract was placed with Atkins on Nov 2004. The broad aims of the initial Assessment Phase (iAP) were:

• To further define the FRES capability required given the military operational concepts that underpin the concept, and develop a series of affordable options for meeting the FRES requirement.
• To develop optimum procurement and support strategies for future phases in order to present a robust case at the point of go/no-go decision.
• To manage technology and supplier risk to acceptable levels.

In the USA, the capabilities and effects-based (vs. specifications-based), System Integrator-led FCS process has run into difficulties on the very points noted above; as the projected cost of the FRES program escalates, echoes of the same criticisms are likely to be heard in the UK as well.

In both cases, however, the countries involved are attempting to sidestep the disconnected and slow processes associated with developing each weapon in the system as an individual military-run project with detailed specifications at all stages. Given that conventional military design and procurement programs can take anywhere from 8-20 years on average, the speed of technology's advance has made compressing this process something of a necessity.

These kinds of attempts are definitely an industry trend in Western countries. Whether FCS and FRES succeed or fail, procurement structure experiments will continue to be tried around the world as advanced armies embark on "military transformation" projects that tax both existing technology limits and military procurement systems' ability to deliver.

The roles FRES will undertake, and the number of vehicles to be procured will be determined by studies undertaken during the initial Assessment Phase.

UK MOD objectives for the vehicles include 4 main areas:

1. Survivability via armour and other self-protection systems; experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has influenced this requirement.
2. Deployability by the A400M aircraft, which has a 35-ton capacity. The original vehicle weight of 17 tons, which would be deployable in the RAF's C-130J Hercules, has been abandoned; expected vehicle weight is now 20-27 tonnes (22-30 tons).
3. Networked-enabled capability via digital communication technology.
4. Through-life upgrade potential throughout its anticipated 30 year service life.

The in-service date for FRES, originally set at 2009, has slipped and is now "the early part of the next decade." A UK Parliamentary report notes Atkins' doubts that this is achievable in any significant numbers before 2017.

General Dynamics Piranha 5:
FRES Utility Vehicle Preferred Design

Starting in July 2007, the British Army conducted “Trials of Truth” during which three 8x8 armoured vehicles were put through their paces. Vehicles selected to take part in the trials were the ARTEC Boxer, General Dynamics Piranha and Nexter VBCI. Industry responses to a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) were received in November 2007. In May 2008, the UK MOD announced the provisional selection of the General Dynamics Piranha V as the preferred design for the FRES Utility Vehicle. Further competitions will select the designs for other variants for roles such as reconnaissance, direct fire and engineering support.

* Technology Demonstrator Programme (TDP)

Sources: Defense Industry Daily, DefenseNews, UK MOD, Atkins, Defence Director

• 08 May 2008 - General Dynamics UK provisionally selected for FRES UV design
• 06 Feb 2008 - Thales-Boeing consortium signs FRES SOSI contract
• 30 Nov 2007 - Second industry team announced for FRES integrator competition
• 29 Nov 2007 - UK MOD delays FRES decision
• 05 Oct 2007 - Preferred bidder selected for FRES System Of Systems Integrator (SOSI)
• 05 Oct 2007 - Boeing and Thales win UK defence deal
• 07 Jun 2007 - UK MOD down-selects FRES vehicle designs

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