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UK's new armoured vehicles in Afghanistan 'unreliable'

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, May 14, IRNA -- New armoured vehicles designed to give troops greater protection against Taliban attacks have performed so badly in Afghanistan that commanders have had to resort to the old Land Rovers they were designed to replace.

British soldiers deployed in Helmand are also suffering from delays in receiving essential equipment, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) failing to meet more than half of demands for urgent operational requirements on time, a report by parliament’s watchdog revealed Thursday.

UK-based helicopters have had to be cannibalised to repair aircraft conducting vital missions in Afghanistan, and problems with the army's vehicles have been compounded by the weight of on board electronic countermeasures to detect improvised bombs.

The report by the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that a shortage of key equipment has meant troops have been unable to train adequately before being deployed on operations.

Giving evidence to the Defence Committee last week, Defence Secretary John Hutton revealed that new Vector armoured vehicles were being withdrawn after being only introduced into Afghanistan in 2007 because of "mechanical and technical issues".

The NAO said that the reliability of the replacement armoured vehicle's suspension and wheel hubs had proved "poor" and had limited underbelly armour to protect it from roadside bombs, while spares were in short supply.

Commanders were reported to have resorted now to an upgraded version of the Snatch Land Rover used in Northern Ireland, known as the Snatch Vixen, which has been fitted with additional armour.

Another armoured vehicle, the Mastiff, which was originally acquired primarily for on-road use in Iraq, also suffered when it was switched to off-road missions in Afghanistan, with 87-strong Mastiff fleet undergoing 176 wheel axle changes in just over a year.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, which oversees the work of the audit office, said it was a "woeful state of affairs" when commanders lost confidence in a new vehicle like the Vector so quickly.

“Given the length of time we’ve had troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s surprising that the MoD have not sorted the problems with its supply chain out,” Leigh also said.

As for helicopters, the priority for spares went to aircraft in use in Iraq and Afghanistan, meant that targets were being missed on the availability of spare parts for fleets back in Britain.

Responding to the findings, Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, said the report is clear about the “challenges and pressures faced by the MoD and the balances that need to be struck between prioritising our forces serving on the front line and providing the best possible equipment for training purposes."

But shadow defence Liam Fox said the findings confirmed “the gross mismanagement that has characterised Labour's decade of neglect of the Armed Forces”.

"Due to a lack of strategic planning by this Government, our armed forces now have to play catch up by procuring equipment through [urgent operational requirements], instead of through a coherent procurement strategy,” Fox said.

“This leads to shortages of key equipment for training and use on operations. This is unacceptable and could cost British lives in the long run,” he warned.