[holding answer 10 July 2007]: The Assessment Phase of the Future Rapid Effect System programme was approved in April 2004. Expenditure on this phase up to 31 March 2007 was £101 million (including value added tax).
This covers the Technology Demonstrator Programmes, which examined candidate technologies (see following table). Additionally it covers the cost of the supporting programme of analysis and technical expertise provided by the Atkins Defence in the Systems House role and Defence Science and Technology Laboratories. It also covers the cost of specialist support to the MOD.
A total of nine TDP contracts have been placed. They are:
Title Contractor 1 Stowage and Capacity Dstl 2 Hard Kill Defensive Aid System Akers Krutbruk 3 Chassis Concept TDP (AHED) General Dynamics UK Ltd. 4 Chassis Concept TDP2 (SEP) BAES Land Systems 5 Electronic Architecture TDP 1 Lockheed Martin UK Ltd. 6 Electronic Architecture TDP 2 Thales UK Ltd. 7 Electric Armour Lockheed Martin UK INSYS Ltd. 8 Integrated Survivability Thales UK Ltd. 9 Gap Crossing BAES Land Systems (Bridging) Ltd.
The out-of-service (OSD) dates for armoured vehicles are detailed as follows:
Vehicle Out-of-service date Remarks Challenger 2 2035 CVR(T) 2016 FV430 Mk2 2002 FV430 Bulldog n/a OSD yet to be confirmed Mastiff n/a No planned OSD at present Saxon GWR 2018 Being taken out of service by 2008 Saxon Patrol 2023 Titan 2040 Trojan 2040 Vector 2019 Warrior 2025
The number of armoured vehicles of each type that were in service (total fleet) in the Army in 1997 is shown in the following table:
Vehicle type Number in service in 1997 Stormer 135 Rapier 67 Saxon (all variants) 634 FV430 Series 1,850 Centurion 40 Warrior 794 CVR(T) 1,671 CVR(W) 2 Chieftain 250 CR1 429 CR2 39 Repair and recovery vehicles 93 AS90 179 MLRS 61 CET 138 Fuchs NBC 11