Contract news for the Fuchs NBC Recconasaince vehicles, or specifically, the training simulator.
The contract specifics;
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological protection equipment. Refurbishment ( repair, servicing, calibration and re-commissioning) of the FUCHS CBRN Area Survey and Recce Vehicle training Simulator and the supply of Train-The-Trainer(T3) training, with 5 years In Service Support
Note the 5 years support and the fact that the training simulator had been withdrawn from service, this contract is to restore it.
Another contract award was for £350k worth of gamma detection and alarm systems from Southern Scientific
Wonder why that is.
This will be the Fuchs that was retired from UK service in summer 2010? Do you think MOD had a ‘buy-back’ clause with Witham Specialist Vehicles? No need – it seems the RAF found a shed to hide them in: “Two specialist Fuchs NBC vehicles which had been put in storage after the unit was closed are reportedly already being tested and reconditioned at RAF Honnington in Suffolk.” said the Mail two weeks ago. Did we only have two of them? Doesn’t really seem enough to deal with the sorts of areas contamination can spread over. Never mind; “some” is better than “none”.
Might be that the “two” are the first ones to be tested and reconditioned?
Only key point I can remember about the Fuchs are that the propellers (made by Schottel) can rotate 360 degrees.
TOC – made me smile – propellers that can go round and round (are there any other sorts?) but then understood you meant the axis of the propeller can be pointed any direction in azimuth. The first interpretation was much funnier.
Heh heh, definitely! :)
There was a thread on this a while back. Some vehicles were not updated previously and our fleet had declined in size. I think the total returning to service was nine.
Are these the same ones the Germans gave us for free back in ’91?
Ace, yes, think so
The Fuchs are now being manufactured in Algeria as I recall under licence , they require 1000 or so to help deal with problems in the south protecting their gas fields from insurgents from Mali, Niger and Mauritania. A vast area (I don’t know how many ‘Belgium’s’ or how many Double decker buses could be parked end to end along the border TD but its ‘ a lot’ ). But like the VBCI used in Mali by the French a wheeled box seems to fit their need well enough for the terrain they encounter. They use BMP/BTR’s as well maybe dispersing the BMP’s to locations wheels are unsuitable.
I believe we have 8 Fuchs.
We have 11 Fuchs, all will have the enhanced RAD capability and this also allows commonality between the services on RAD equipment. The RSM (Radiological Survey Meter) or SVG2 as it is known in the rest of the world is due for replacement and that is the legacy equipment in Fuchs.
After amalgamation on the 2nd August this year between 1 and 2 RTR, then Falcon Sqn the RTR will become CBRN R&S Sqn for the Army located at Warminster taking over Harlam Lines from the current Demonstration Sqn. Which will be disbanded and then the task will be picked up by one of the three tank regiments in Tidworth on a rotational basis.
Falcon has an option to take all 11 Fuchs, but may decide not to depending on current doctrine, I think I have discussed the issues of Fuchs and another CBRN Recce vehicle in the past for Chemical Recce. Falcon also has an option on the Decon Systems that were also stored by the CBRN Defence Wing i.e. the RAF Regiment. Rumour has it they will be looking at a LRT (Light Role Team) element to the Sqn as well. Which almost puts the Defence Wing out of a job and just hanging onto IBDS, which is in the process of being replaced.