To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he expects the first Panther Command and Liaison Vehicles to be accepted into service; how many such vehicles he expects to be in service; and to which units he expects them to be deployed; (124795)

On current plans a total of 401 vehicles will be procured. First deliveries are planned to take place at the end of 2007. It is currently intended to deploy Panther to Training Establishments, Brigades and the Remainder of Field Force Users and RAF.

The fuel consumption of a fully kitted-up Panther vehicle when used on a surfaced road is estimated to be 6 km/ltr when travelling at a constant speed of 80 km/h. The off-road consumption is estimated to be 2 km/ltr.