Fifty-one new Foxhound light protected patrol vehicles for the British troops in Afghanistan 2511122
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Military Defense Industry Technology - Foxhound |
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Sunday, November 25, 2012, 05:14 AM | |||
Fifty-one new Foxhound light protected patrol vehicles for the British troops in Afghanistan. | |||
The
British Ministry of Defence is investing £46m in acquiring fifty-one
new Foxhound
patrol vehicles for soldiers serving on the front line in Afghanistan.
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne made
the announcement during a visit to the General Dynamics Land Systems -
Force Protection Europe (GDLS-FPE) facility in Telford, which provides
spares for the Foxhound vehicle. |
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A Foxhound Light Protection Protected Vehicle is pictured at Camp Bastion, Helmand, Afghanistan. (Credit photo British MOD) |
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The
contract announced today is part of an overall investment of £340m
that the MOD has made in Foxhound
since 2010. Designed and built by GDLS - FPE in Britain, Foxhound is one of the Army's most agile protected vehicles. It uses leading-edge Formula 1 technology to provide unparalleled protection for its weight and class. The
first Foxhounds
were deployed to Afghanistan in June 2012 and are now being used by soldiers
operating in mentoring and partnering roles with the Afghan National Security
Forces. |
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Mr
Dunne said:
"I was pleased to meet with employees at General Dynamics - Force Protection who have helped make Foxhound a real procurement success story, taking only 40 months to develop it from the initial design to deployment in Afghanistan. "The work being done by staff here in Telford is ensuring the vehicles can stay on the road and helping our soldiers do the vital job of engaging with Afghan forces and protecting the local population. "Balancing the MOD's budget means we can now confidently invest in equipment like Foxhound, which has the flexibility and adaptability to operate in a wide variety of environments, providing capability for the Army well into the future. "This investment shows the MOD playing its part in delivering growth and sustaining jobs in the West Midlands industrial base." Speaking
in September when Foxhound was first operational in Afghanistan, Chief
of Staff for the Bastion Force Protection Wing, Squadron Leader Jim Stewart,
said: |
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