EPLS Cargo Transport Vehicles in Combat Logistic Patrol (CLP) in Afghanistan

11 thoughts on “EPLS Cargo Transport Vehicles in Combat Logistic Patrol (CLP) in Afghanistan”

1. Gareth Jones March 1, 2012 at 5:28 pm

   Are those ISO containers I spy?
2. solomon March 1, 2012 at 5:47 pm

   not trying to be controversial but why do you have so many vehicles to perform the same mission? the USMC is somewhat larger than the British Army but has fewer logistics vehicles.

   its really confusing. a similar issue is the Jackal, Pinzgauer, Warthog, Bronco, and i forget the other vehicles but it seems like we see a bunch of vehicles across the board doing the same job.

   like i said, not trying to start a flame war, just an observation and maybe a misunderstanding. help me out.
3. Think Defence March 1, 2012 at 6:08 pm

   Sol, it is fundamentally because we were not prepared for the task in Afghanistan and have had to equip ourselves with a series of short term expedients
4. solomon March 1, 2012 at 6:20 pm

   totally understandable in that light. that war changed at the very least 3 times. the invasion was one type of war. the consolidation and transition to nation building was another type of war and then the long term operations was a third type.

   yeah it makes sense in that light.
5. Mike W March 1, 2012 at 6:20 pm

   Is it true that the DROPS vehicles (both Leyland and Foden) will be going by December 2014 (original out-of-service date 2018? 2022?)?. If so, EPLS will be in very great demand indeed!
6. Brian Black March 1, 2012 at 10:27 pm

   Am I right in thinking that this was an UOR that is now expected to replace both DROPS? If so, is this the partner topic to the Springer article – When UORs go good?

   Having said that, should we be looking at the US’s FMTV palletised load system instead. We’ll probably end up with something from that range sooner or later, given the extent and variety of vehicles, and the Americans intent to use them as carriers for various weapon systems.
7. Mike W March 1, 2012 at 10:42 pm

   ‘Brian Black

   I might be wrong but I don’t think EPLS was a UOR, Brian. I think it started life as another variant of the MAN SV family (as part of the core) but I’m willing to be proved wrong.
8. Think Defence March 1, 2012 at 10:44 pm

   EPLS was a UOR Mike, we took some of the vehicles off the MAN line and converted them prior to delivery.

   From here

   http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2011/07/the-future-of-the-british-army-09-wheels-a-sensible-solution/

   Project Barricade in 2008 converted 90 Support Vehicle 15 tonne 8×8 vehicles already on the production programme with the Enhanced Palletised Loading System or EPLS. Since Barricade an additional 87 vehicles with EPLS have been obtained, outside of the main SV programme, with 31 of those being used for training.
9. Mike W March 2, 2012 at 3:52 pm

   Have only just seen this. My mistake. Apologies to Brian and to you.

   Do you know anything about the story that both DROPs vehicles will disappear from service by the end of 2015?

   I thought some were going to be the support vehicles for Watchkeeper and to find other uses too.
10. Ed March 2, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    It would be pretty sensible to make the MAN EPLS the sole PLS truck in service. It would be good to bring the number of types in service down a bit, especially once we are out of Afghanistan. Once we withdraw from there, we need to make sure that we don’t cast off the UOR kit, and actually make the greatest possible use of what we have.

    It’s good to see a sensible UOR paying off, something that perhaps deserves a thread of its own, to balance the Springer one!
11. Think Defence March 2, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    Ed, have done trucks to death in previous posts…

    http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2011/07/the-future-of-the-british-army-09-wheels-a-sensible-solution/