The British Army will receive hundreds of new vehicles following a “rapid procurement process” designed to give the armed forces an operational boost.
The Ministry of Defence has awarded Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles a £282million contract to produce 500 brand-new support trucks for the UK’s armed forces.
The trucks, the MoD has boasted, have been acquired in just seven months and will enhance personnel’s ability to carry out “essential logistics”.
They will give the British Army a boost as experts and officials examine its overall capabilities, with fears it is no longer among the world’s top fighting forces.
The Government’s Rapid Acquisition Project, which has expedited procurement for the armed forces, forms a part of officials’ plans to rectify this by providing personnel with the “best tools available”.
According to the MoD, the new vehicles come from the HX family of trucks that boast a “multitude of protection capabilities”.
They can be loaded with flat racks that carry logistics for personnel, including food, water, ammunition and support material to operational locations.
Minister For Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said the procurement would allow British Army personnel to deal with “evolving threats”.
He said: “The rapid delivery of transport capabilities to the front line is paramount to the lifeblood of British Army logistics and operations.”
“This procurement demonstrates our commitment to equipping our Armed Forces with the best tools available, ensuring mobility, agility, and resilience in the face of evolving threats.”
British Army chiefs have come under pressure recently to expand the armed forces, with current service levels at their lowest since the Napoleonic Wars.
Last week, General Sir Patrick Sanders, chief of the general staff, said Britain must be prepared to form a “citizen army” to boost numbers should the UK go to war with Russia.
He warned UK forces would not be large enough in the event of such a war, and added Britain must create the foundations for “national mobilisation”.
The British Army is currently made up of 75,983 regular full-time serving personnel and a further 28,284 reserves, to a total of 104,267.
General Sanders has called for the UK to increase its ranks by just under a fifth to 120,000, bolstered with a “strategic reserve” of former armed forces personnel.
