Vehicle developer Supacat has delivered the first tranche of upgraded British Army Fuchs/Fox CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) surveillance and reconnaissance vehicles to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL).
As part of an overall £16m UK MOD contract awarded to RBSL in October 2020 to upgrade and sustain the British Army’s fleet of Fuchs/Fox vehicles, Supacat is conducting the physical integration of the latest chemical and radiological sensing equipment, RBSL having completed the engineering work required to upgrade the CBRN vehicles.
Originally designed and developed by Rheinmetall, the British Army’s Fuchs/Fox vehicles were adapted into a protected platform equipped with automatic systems and sensors for detecting nuclear radiation, CBRN agents and other toxic substances. This latest contract will help modernise the fleet further and ensure operational readiness and effectiveness of the UK CBRN reconnaissance fleet.
The contract is the latest collaboration opportunity between Supacat and RBSL as Supacat grows its Engineering Services business to support global primes in the UK and Australia where it operates.
Phil Applegarth, Director of Supacat, said:
“This contract demonstrates how our relationship with RBSL provides comprehensive engineering expertise to the UK MOD, by increased agility through RBSL collaborating with an SME, and sustains high value jobs and skills in the UK. Our engineers are able to bring extensive experience in delivering fully integrated, battle-proven vehicle systems, as demonstrated by the HMT platform (Jackal and Coyote) to maintain this critical UK MOD capability.”
About Supacat
According to their website, Supacat is the “world’s leading specialist in the design and development of high mobility defence vehicles with over 1000 specialist, battle-proven vehicles delivered into service globally”.
We should consider getting these people to build an Ajax replacement. They seem to know what they are doing. Just issue them with the spec and let them get on with it. Then, at all costs, stop the MoD or the Army from changing the spec half way through production
This is the issue, tampering with the spec. Contracts need to be like the T31 and be cast iron ‘no tamper’ ones.
Probably the only reason we have two aircraft carriers is that they were “you pay for them even if you cancel one” contracts.
It’s a shame the Warrior upgrades were not signed off like this.
AA
Yeap that cats and traps delay added £500m or something. So poorly thought out. Once it’s signed stick with it.
I thought the spec for the carriers did change – from a STOVL carrier to a ‘Cats and traps’ carrier, to a FFNW ‘Cats and Traps’ carrier, then back to STOVL.
I think anyone but the start-up company, GDUK, should have built Ajax. Complex AFVs take at least 10 years to design, develop and test. There is no way that the spec would not change at least once in that time – threat changes and technology changes. The army Requirements Manager only changed the spec on Ajax once, and the contract was properly renegotiated.
Ajax is the most incompetent, expensive and embassasing disaster that the MoD has ever organised. I hope that all future military procurement for our armed forces is restricted to only buying combat-proven kit off-the-shelf. And I sincerely hope that the incompetent buffoons responsible for Ajax, the T45’s, scrapping half of our Typhoons, HMS PoW propeller shaft problems etc etc get what they deserve
David, I think there have been other big procurement fiascos – Nimrod AEW and Nimrod MRA4 being amongst them.
I could not agree that we should only buy MOTS equipment and never develop anything ‘from scratch’ – that is the safe way but you may not get the kit you really need – and British Defence Industry need to be kept in work.
The PoW propellor shaft issue is embarrassing but may have been caused by a seabed strike or poor crew maintenence rather than being bad design.
David, I would agree with this. I came across this company some years back on a study of the small and medium members of the MoD supply chain. They are a highly capable, innovative and agile small company. Sadly Supacat and the likes often get raw deal from the MoD and consequently there is a major block to long term growth in the size of such small and medium contractors.
Perfect timing.
Or perfect timing of the announcement!
Might need them shortly the way things are going.
I may have all this wrong but is the Fox a specialist CBRN vehicle or could it carry out Ajax type duties. If the latter would it be worth looking at instead of Ajax or maybe mixing it with the Boxer for similar duties?
It’s a specialist CBRN vehicle, it is far smaller than Ajax and wouldn’t be able to carry the 40mm CTAS cannon.
If Ajax does get binned I think they will order more boxer but will need some form of tracked rec vehicle like the CV90 MK4. MRVP also needs funded.
If I was a betting man I’d say Ajax will be binned.
Okay. Thanks . I can’t help think that Ajax has to go . I don’t think anybody has confidence in it anymore. Likewise I agree with you on the CV90. I don’t understand why we didn’t go for it in the first place.
On the MRVP think I’m right in saying that the options are all foreign? I suppose it would be outrageous for us to think that we could build what is in effect an armoured oversized jeep or truck. A bit simplistic I know but worth a look.
MRVP, they’ve had 3 attempts to get that going and actually order something and I read it has just been reset, again.
Why does that not surprise me? Oh I know. It’s a British army project with the MOD in the driving seat.
The scuttlebutt doing the rounds has always been that the reason that CV90 recce was not selected for the Ajax project was because it was made by BAE and MoD had a downer on the company at the time. Silly, but possibly true. May also be something to do with jobs in Wales.
It looks like Warrior is being prepared as an interim Ajax replacement if the latter is binned. RAC troopers are learning to drive Warrrior, as we speak.
What would then replace WR Recce – and when? – anything not made by GD, of course, probably in 5-10 years time.
It’s a 6 by 6 wheeled armoured recon vehicle really, closer to a lorry chassis or even a Boxer in concept than an Ajax… though that might be a good thing 😄.
O.K. Many thanks
Its not a recce vehicle.
Initial statement by Brig Rafferty: “MRV-P would have four variants: command and liaison with a four-person seating, a command and control variant that could expand and deploy statically and fit up to six personnel, a logistics transport variant for two personnel and a troop carrier variant with a driver, commander and six dismounts”.
It seems that the project may now only comprise a TCV and a Protected. Battlefield Ambulance.
Fuchs are a very old project. Upgraded but it is a second line NBC recon vehicle.
You can use it for police stuff and internal security role.
Cheers Alex. Understood
Fuchs 2 is in production at the moment
The British Army bought 11 Mk1s – the highly specialised CRBN variant of this APC from the Germans in 1990 and were used in Gulf War 1. Developed by GDLS and Henschel Wehrtecnik, originally for both US and German armies. Mk 2 APC has been available since c.2001
It seems that Supacat is finally upgrading our 30years+ old Fuchs 1s.
Fuchs APC Mk2 (a 6×6) can be obtained in many variants but recce is not one of them.
The FV101 Scorpion with its 76mm gun and 3 crew was 8 tons, 5.3m long, 2.1m wide and 2.1m high.
The TPz Fuch is 23 tons, 6.8m long, 3m wide and 2.5m high. So a fair bit bigger than the Scorpion. I’d say it’s comfortably big enough for 2 crew and a 40mm CTA Remote turret with coaxial MG and some improved armour. It perhaps wouldn’t also have space for dismounts, but two vehicles and a single RWS on the second one and perhaps this vehicle could do an Ajax job.
These were first gifted to the British Army in 91 I recall for 1st Gulf War ( or 2nd depending how you look at it )
Now used by Falcon Squadron RTR I believe.
FALCON Sqn, made up of Royal Tank Regiment Officers and Soldiers attached to 28 Engineer Regiment (C-CBRN)
Yes, they were gifted by Germany for the 1st Gulf War. I was a member of the original troop that operated them from the Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG).
They arrived at 37 Rhine Wksp under wraps so as not to upset peacenik Germans. Still had the black crosses on them. Dyno tape labels ruled inside.
Cheers
Which garrison was that Ian? I’m unaware of that outfit, sorry to say.
Now long closed, it was based in Moenchengladbach.
Cheers
Ah, was it Ayrshire Bks? We’ve keep that site for CHE and the DM site at Wulfen. I assume the Wkshp was on the same site?
Hi Daniele, I worked at the Wksp attached to the storage for all the earthmoving eqpt for BAOR before I got bored and moved down into the Wksp proper in town. I was the only ECE west of the Rhine at the time and had to ‘look after’ a bunch of Tels Techs 🤔
Cheers
Its all about the sensors and training, these wagons are crappy tin cans. However, as en ex CBRN instructor (i know I know not my choice) rather these lads in Falcon Sqn have the role, not me. Interesting subject, very niche but if not taught properly and in an imaginative way, sooooooo boring.
I’d read there was a bit of knowledge loss when the JCBRN Reg was cut, and the RAF Reg took on the role? ( 20 Wing/28 Sqn?)
Now turned full circle with the army back in the lead, with 28 RE.
Did you go to Winterbourne G mate?
Winterbourne Gunner mate, strange enough was there on 9/11 so remember it well, at the time still called NBC instructors course. Quite interesting, not something the Airborne forces ever did well, NBC, paid lip service to it quite a lot 😂 👍
Falcon squadron is really cool sounding name, shame it’s just using a big sniffer on a pole.
I should add performing a very important role also.
A big sniffer on a pole…..are we still talking NBC? 😂
Never have liked the acroym ‘CBRN’ much prefered ‘NBC’ and it was much easier to remember (by 1 letter that is) even my 2000AD comic used 3 letters ABC (for the title of the ABC warriors) but hey hum, progress anyway I came across one of those whislt waiting at an excercise POL point (Huge queue) So I walked up to the vehicle commander, asked if I could have a butchers (ok) and was given a tour:
https://i.postimg.cc/bJH2t6ws/DSC01338.jpg
2)
https://i.postimg.cc/XJZT9KCt/DSC01334.jpg
3)
https://i.postimg.cc/MThg5c0H/DSC01335.jpg
Great pics farouk. Thanks.
Thanks, I have a load of other pictures from the inside of the damn thing, but felt that stuff like that shouldnt be aired
Seems this the way we need to endeavour, with sabre rattling with putin and his final nuclear threat.we need the right kit,god forbid this man does fire nuclear tipped missiles,supercat looks a great bit of kit I pray we don’t need it, but better prepared than dead cede nulls
Supercat has updated the 1990-era Fuchs vehicles we got from Germany for GW1. Looks like a good upgrade, pity we had to wait 30 years for it!
Er, we were gifted them in 1990 from the Germans.
More spin.
Polishing a turd comes to mind….