UK awards £10.6 Mn contract to Rheinmetall for 359 Warrior IFV Rear Safety Cameras.

On November 3, 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a contract valued at £10,631,644.94 (approximately $13 million) to Rheinmetall Electronics UK, a subsidiary of Germany-based Rheinmetall AG. This contract aims to enhance the operational capabilities of the British MCV-80 Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) by integrating 359 Rear Safety Camera Systems (RSCS).
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The MCV-80 Warrior, a tracked armored IFV developed in 1977 by the British Company GKN Sankey, was accepted into service with the British army in 1988. (Picture source: UK MoD)

The decision to integrate a rear safety camera system is in response to the absence of such a feature in the current MCV-80 Warrior IFV configuration. The newly integrated day/night capable system is considered essential, providing the Warrior driver with the ability to recognize terrain and personnel.

The primary objective of the RSCS integration is to provide the driver with an extensive rearward view, covering the entire track width from the immediate rear of the platform. The contract mandates the acquisition of 359 units of Warrior IFV Rear Safety Camera Systems, a system that includes sub-systems such as the rear camera, a display control unit, a cabling loom, and a camera wash wipe facility.

This contract, spanning two years, follows the completion of an Accelerated Restricted Competition (ARC), justified by the MoD due to "reasons of urgency," citing potential safety implications for the Warrior IFV crew during operations. The main site for the procurement, delivery, and performance of the contract will be in Bristol, United Kingdom, effective from November 2, 2023, and set to conclude by October 31, 2025.

The RSCS program schedule outlines a detailed plan, with a prototype unit expected within two months of the contract award. Subsequently, three separate batches of 90 RSCS units will be delivered at undisclosed intervals. The program concludes with Batch 4, consisting of 89 units, and each of the 359 RSCS units is expected to cost nearly £30,000 ($36,916).

This decision to equip the Warrior fleet with 359 rear camera units comes just two years before the planned withdrawal of the Warrior IFV from service. Back in 2020, the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP) successfully completed Phase 1, concluding 59 battlefield missions within the British army. The WCSP aimed at improving the combat capabilities of the MCV-80 Warrior tracked armored IFV, involving the integration of a fully stabilized turret with a CTAi 40mm cannon, upgraded Thermal Imaging primary sight, 360˚ Local Situational Awareness cameras, modular armor mounting systems, and enhanced power generation and distribution.

The 2021 UK Defence Command Paper outlined the retirement of the 359-strong Warrior IFV fleet in 2025, replacing the WCSP with an accelerated acquisition of the Boxer 8×8 mechanized infantry vehicle (MIV). This decision was prioritized to fill the impending gap left by the tracked IFV.

The Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) Programme, valued at £2.3 billion, was announced in November 2019 as a collaboration between the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and ARTEC, a joint venture involving Rheinmetall Landsysteme, Rheinmetall Defence Nederland B.V, and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. The contract aims to deliver over 600 Boxer vehicles to the British Army. Vehicle production is subcontracted equally between RBSL and KNDS, with both companies responsible for fabricating the armored vehicle structures, assembly, integration, and testing of complete vehicles at their respective facilities in Telford and Stockport, with support from the UK supply chain.

The MCV-80 Warrior, a tracked armored IFV developed in 1977 by the British Company GKN Sankey, was accepted into service with the British army in 1988. The MCV-80 Warrior features all-welded aluminum construction providing protection against small arms and artillery shell splinters. The vehicle is equipped with a two-man turret housing one 30 mm L21 RARDEN cannon and one 7.62mm machine gun. With a crew of three, including the driver, commander, and gunner, the rear part of the vehicle can accommodate seven infantrymen.