The first batch of new armoured vehicles have reached Afghanistan and have now been put to work in front line operations.

300 new Mastiff 2 and Ridgback vehicles are now operational with trained crews and are giving troop commanders better capability for battlefield tasks.

Various upgrades make the two vehicles more up-to-date including: explosive attenuating seats to provide better protection to the soldier on impact; improved armour; improved axles and suspension to cope with the difficult terrain; better thermal imaging for the drivers; and greater crew capacity.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said:

"The Mastiff is already giving troops a battle-winning edge in Afghanistan and Mastiff 2 is even better as we have improved the vehicle in line with comments from personnel on the front line.

"Ridgback will supplement the excellent work currently carried out by its bigger brother Mastiff and offer our forces first-rate protection with greater manoeuvrability and easier access to urban areas."

With a maximum speed of 90kph for Mastiff 2 and 40mph for Ridgback, both vehicles will be armed with the latest weapon systems, including a 7.62mm general purpose machine gun, 12.7mm heavy machine gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Both vehicles have a redesigned interior making it the vehicle of choice for protected mobility troops in Afghanistan.

The vehicles are based on the US Cougar made by Force Protection, with the UK integration work carried out by NP Aerospace, based in Coventry.

All training on the vehicles has been carried out at the Defence School of Transport, based near Hull, which is the largest driver training school in Europe.

UK MoD
11.06.2009