.Half of UK’s new armoured vehicles in Afghanistan out of service
More than half of the new armoured vehicles sent to Afghanistan are out of service, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.
Only 134 of the 271 Mastiffs, the heaviest and most protective of the Army’s armoured vehicles in Afghanistan, are “fit for purpose”, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.
The same poor service history is also affecting the new Ridgeback vehicles which are being used for the first time by 11 Light Brigade in Afghanistan. In written Commons answers, the Liberal Democrats were told that nearly 40 per cent of Ridgebacks were not operational at present.
The Mastiff and Ridgeback are examples of the new type of heavily armoured, mine-resistant, wheeled patrol vehicles used by the Army on operations in Afghanistan
They provide much greater protection to personnel than the lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover which has proved so vulnerable to roadside bombs.
Willie Rennie, Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: “These worrying figures undermine Labour’s claim that our troops have the armoured vehicles they need.
“The Government says more Mastiffs and Ridgebacks are protecting our troops from roadside bombs but now we find only half of them are fit for purpose.
“We must make sure our troops have the kit they need to do their job as safely as possible. Mere promises are not enough. Gordon Brown has to deliver.”
Announcing in November that there was now enough equipment in Afghanistan to deploy extra troops, Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, said: “[There are] a lot more Mastiffs, almost double the number of Mastiffs than we had before.”
He said the better-armoured vehicles, such as the Mastiff and Ridgeback, were “now beginning to flow into theatre in considerable numbers”.
“The Mastiff is a fantastic vehicle and the fact that we’ve now got almost twice as many as we had a few months ago is a big boon to people,” Mr Ainsworth said.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our commanders in Afghanistan have the armoured vehicles they need to conduct their tasks. Nearly three quarters of our vehicles are ready for operations, but we operate in demanding conditions and of course a minority will sometimes require repairs.
“Our forces do a great job of maintaining vehicles and getting them back on the frontline as quickly as possible."
The MoD has spent £1.3 billion on armoured vehicles over the past three years.
Timesonline
Only 134 of the 271 Mastiffs, the heaviest and most protective of the Army’s armoured vehicles in Afghanistan, are “fit for purpose”, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.
The same poor service history is also affecting the new Ridgeback vehicles which are being used for the first time by 11 Light Brigade in Afghanistan. In written Commons answers, the Liberal Democrats were told that nearly 40 per cent of Ridgebacks were not operational at present.
The Mastiff and Ridgeback are examples of the new type of heavily armoured, mine-resistant, wheeled patrol vehicles used by the Army on operations in Afghanistan
They provide much greater protection to personnel than the lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover which has proved so vulnerable to roadside bombs.
Willie Rennie, Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: “These worrying figures undermine Labour’s claim that our troops have the armoured vehicles they need.
“The Government says more Mastiffs and Ridgebacks are protecting our troops from roadside bombs but now we find only half of them are fit for purpose.
“We must make sure our troops have the kit they need to do their job as safely as possible. Mere promises are not enough. Gordon Brown has to deliver.”
Announcing in November that there was now enough equipment in Afghanistan to deploy extra troops, Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, said: “[There are] a lot more Mastiffs, almost double the number of Mastiffs than we had before.”
He said the better-armoured vehicles, such as the Mastiff and Ridgeback, were “now beginning to flow into theatre in considerable numbers”.
“The Mastiff is a fantastic vehicle and the fact that we’ve now got almost twice as many as we had a few months ago is a big boon to people,” Mr Ainsworth said.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our commanders in Afghanistan have the armoured vehicles they need to conduct their tasks. Nearly three quarters of our vehicles are ready for operations, but we operate in demanding conditions and of course a minority will sometimes require repairs.
“Our forces do a great job of maintaining vehicles and getting them back on the frontline as quickly as possible."
The MoD has spent £1.3 billion on armoured vehicles over the past three years.
Timesonline
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