'Battlefield taxi' is still best of breed
4 Jul 08
The Bulldog armoured vehicle is in the middle of its improvement programme and the contract to complete the modernization of around 900 of the vehicles is on time and on budget. Report by Steve Moore.
The upgrade to the Bulldog armoured vehicle is more than halfway to its target, which is good news for those equipped with it on operations in southern Iraq
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]
Upgrading of the Army's 'battlefield taxi' for Iraq is well on track. More than 100 of the 14-tonne Bulldog vehicles have been uparmoured further and have had extra equipment fits to help meet the demands of operations on the streets of southern Iraq.
Bulldog, which can carry eight personnel plus two crew, has evolved from the FV430 series of vehicles which entered service in the 1960s. The latest version, which will see them in service by 2011, has been upgraded to improve capability and reliability.
New engines and transmissions are being fitted with new steering, electrical and cooling systems. It has a faster top speed - now up to around 45mph (72k/ph) - and can make a tighter turn. Engines are quieter and have lower emissions.
The uparmoured version for Iraq sees further improvements. Extra armour protection helps the survivability of personnel while air conditioning is fitted for extra comfort. A protected weapon station is included for more safety and firepower while a driver's night vision system is fitted to give 24-hour operating capability:
"This vehicle gets 10 out of 10 from me," said Lieutenant Henry Russell-Blackburn of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, who is a Bulldog commander in Basra.
Upgraded Bulldogs are displayed alongside an uparmoured version ready for operations in Iraq
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]
"For what it is designed to do, it is a fantastic vehicle. The fact that you can add tonnes of kit to it and it still does the job proves people knew exactly what they were doing when they built Bulldog.
"It is a very good vehicle and the work that it does in Basra shows how valuable it is to us."
A crewman from the Rifles on Operation Telic 9 added:
"It's a great bit of kit. As a driver it gives me a bit of cover as well and it can move a lot better.
"It provides better protection on the ground and it's more effective. It out-rates all the other vehicles I've been in before in my army career."
The £155 million upgrade programme began with an £85 million contract with BAE Systems in October 2005 to cover a new engine and other systems to 500 FV430 vehicles. An amendment worth £70 million last September added another 400 vehicles to the programme.
The upgrade is co-ordinated by DE&S' Light Armoured Systems team, managed by BAES Land Systems and carried out by the Defence Support Group at its workshops at Bovington in Dorset where workers convert around 20 per month, or one every working day.
A Bulldog goes through its paces on the Bovington test tracks
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]
Members of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment dropped into Bovington in May to celebrate the 500th upgraded vehicle off the production line and to thank workers for their efforts:
"Bulldog typifies the responsive service we are seeking to provide to UK forces," said Jim Imrie, managing director of weapons and vehicles at BAE Systems.
"The programme has resulted in a more reliable and capable vehicle for the front line at the same time as cutting the cost of support for the taxpayer."
DSG's Chief Executive Archie Hughes praised the 120 people at Bovington working on the project:
"Technicians and engineers have worked hard to ensure our forces are getting the best possible service.
"Bulldog is critical equipment that helps them do their jobs to maximum effect in dangerous conditions."
This article first appeared in Desider, the magazine for Defence Equipment and Support.