1994 - Today The modern army... (Part 1)
After many decades of consistency, the look of the Army has suddenly changed, Bedford Trucks (by any name) and Land Rover failed to win key contracts to supply vehicles for the new Millennium.
Land Rover made a bid for the new specifications with their Land Rover Llama, but it had an odd tendency to tip over when travelling off road and loaded with equipment or troops, not quite what the army wanted. Despite eleven prototypes being made, none could defeat the curse of Isaac Newton.
The UK government decided to pay some 35% more for the Pinzgauer than take Land Rovers, with one exception, the Latest Battlefield Ambulance (130-XD) was purchased from 1996 onwards and is based on the rear body of the Forward Control Ambulance, placed onto an elongated Land Rover Defender chassis. These new Land Rovers are built in the UK with Bodywork by Marshals or Locomotors, or built entirely (including the Land Rover Defender) in Turkey by Otokar (under licence)
Land Rover is now being purchased by the MOD with Snappy names such as Pulse (Above) for the ambulance, and Snatch (Below) for the latest version for the same vehicle used in Northern Ireland and Bosina many years before. The Snatch will eventually be replaced by the “Vector” (also on this page) but that may be another few years until all Land Rovers are out of the Army.
After an ill fated flirt with the American designs, the Army turned to the Germans, Austrians and Swiss engineering for the majority of their new vehicles.
Another more subtle change was the re-organisation of the Army number plates. Then up to the end of 1999 the format was nn-ll-nn where n= number and l=letter. in the new century the format changed to ll-nn-ll. This of course is the format of the old dutch black background and silver or white letters number-plates, and so great for military enthusiast from Holland.
Reynolds-Boughton (Dodge 500)
Reynolds-Boughton FFR (GS like) Radio Signals Vehicle. ( 4 x 4 )
Reynolds-Boughton (actually entered service in 1992, but it took years to make its way into normal signals life) The only way to tell the FFR version is to look for the Antenna base mount on the front wing.
Reynolds-Boughton RDI (Radio Drop-In) Body Signals Vehicle. ( 4 x 4 )
This is a 4-wheel drive version of the American Dodge 500 truck, converted by Reynolds-Boughton Engineering for British Army needs and designated the RB44 (44 for 4x4) but due to severe brake failures, after only taking about 2000, the Army reverted back to existing Land Rovers and are now selling off the RB44’s for around £4,000.00 to £7,500.00 each via MOD sales.
RDI Shelters removed from RB44s, and in the drawing below as fitted on a vehicle and in use...
The advantage of using the Dodge 500 clone was that the US-Army Signals Service shelters made for the Dodge and later Humvee could also be used by the British army. The drop in shelters are now a standard for all NATO nations, and called Nato Pallet Containers.
Pinzgauer (Austria)
Pinzgauer is the name of a Cart-horse breed from the Pinzgau area of Austria. Pinzgauer which was originally developed by Steyr Puch in the 1960s and the company bought out by Volkswagon and later MAN, but after transiting a brief American ownership is now owned by BAE Land Systems. The basis of the “drop-in” module design and a few other basic elements are however also still to be found in the Mowag Duro models further below.
The 4 x 4 Generation 1 models are known as No. 710, the 2nd Generation 716. The 4x4s are the smaller model, but share the same “Portal Axle” technology of the 6x6 (and the Mercedes Unimog) which means the axle is much higher than the middle of the wheels it drives. However due to the Portal Gears at the wheel hubs the maximum speed is limited to about 65 mph (105 km/h).
Pinzgauer Soft Skinned FFR Radio Signals Vehicle. (UK made 4 x 4 )
The 6 x 6 Generation 1 models are known as No. 712, the 2nd Generation 718
Pinzgauer Soft Skinned Signals Supply Vehicle. (The real ugly one)
Pinzgauer Light Signals Command Vehicle. (also available in 4x4 version)
Pinzgauer (with a (Radio or Office) Communications Shelter platform fitted)
Pinzgauer (with a REACHER (Skynet 5 ground terminal station) platform fitted)
Latest model, the “Vector.” A 6x6 Pinzgauer with more protection. Bullet proof glass, modular armour plates, screens and an IR Thermal Dress
Alvis Tactica (replacement for the Humber Armoured Pig)
IVECO LMV (UK name FCLV “Panther”)
MOWAG DURO (Switzerland)
The Swiss Made (no not Swiss maid) Duro is a turn that sixty odd years ago would have made most Patriotic British shudder, then it is an Austrian-German design based on the Styer Puch Pinzgauer and the German Rheinmetall LKW.
Mowag (with a Comorant Radio System container platform fitted)
The Mowag Duro company has won a major order for supplying the UK with military trucks. MOWAG GmbH is the parent of Pinzgauer who the Army also adopted in the 1990’s to replace the Land Rover and is General Dynamics subsidiary (General Dynamics also supplying the Bowman and various other COTS (Commercial off the shelf) Radio equipment.
Mowag (with a REACHER (Skynet 5 ground terminal station) platform fitted)
However they are in fact a design by the German Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (RLS) vehicles as supplied to many different Armies world-wide including Germany, Italy, Denmark and even the Russians.
The UK’s Defense Procurement Agency had ordered 35 more Duro III 12-tonne multipurpose vehicles, as the third British Army contract placed within the just nine months of ordering the first in 2004.
Mowag (with a (Radio or Office) Communications Shelter platform fitted)
Of the 198 vehicles ordered or already delivered by/to the UK in the years 2004 and 2005, 124 are the smaller 9-tonne Duro IIs (above). Their roster includes:
6 vehicles for ammunition disposal (mine clearance and bomb disposal) 118 vehicles as carriers of communications systems such as Bowman for the army, Falcon for the RAF and Comorant for Command.
Mowag Light Signals Command Vehicle. (also available in 4x4 version)
Of the 66 larger DURO III (12 ton) vehicles:
48 will also be applied as communications vehicles 18 will be equipped for bomb disposal. A number of these DUROs are already in operation with the British Army in Iraq for bomb disposal missions.
Although they look cheap and flimsy, they are in fact an off spin of the Swiss Banks need for lots of Armoured Money transporters and better at protecting the people inside than any of the UKs efforts so far.
Bucher (Mowag) Heavy Armoured (Bomb proof) Command Vehicle.
The term Bomb Proof is a bit misleading, then if it drives over a mine the vehicle (but not its occupants) is destroyed. A “V” shaped floor pan deflects most of the under-vehicle blast to the side, usually removing the wheels and side tanks in the process. The front cab may tip forward as a result of the blast, but the two passengers and driver can better survive that than the motor being thrown up through the floor where the cab to be less flexible.
Bucher was the predecessor name of Mowag, and is also used by the German federal army in Afghanistan where such vehicles have saved the lives of many German soldiers.
M.A.N. (Germany)
ALVIS Tracked Vehicles
The Armoured Signal Regiments use several different tracked vehicles, the smaller “Sultan” is based on the same drive and chassis as the Scorpion Tank. Recently Alvis elongated the chassis and added an extra ground wheel, to make more room in them for Troops (in the APC role) or for technical equipment and planning desk in the Royal Signals and Command roles.
