THE army’s plans for a new generation of armoured troop and missile carriers costing £14 billion face new delays of at least five years, undermining its ability to fight land battles overseas.
The proposed 3,000 combat vehicles will not enter service until at least 2017, five years later than the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning, according to a report by its own consultants.

 
 
General Sir Michael Jackson, who retired last year as chief of the general staff, had told troops in 2003 that they would only have to wait until 2009 for the vehicles, known as the Future Rapid Effects System (Fres).

He gave the assurance to soften the blow from the previous round of cuts when many historic regiments were abolished.

Last year the MoD called Fres, intended to create a computerised, fast-moving armoured force, “the most significant army project for the next decade”.

The fresh delay on the troop carriers will embarrass the government, which has been faced with a string of late defence projects — including the Eurofighter and aircraft carriers. It has been caused by a reassessment of what the army will need, caused by experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The original plan had been to provide a lightweight fleet of vehicles that could quickly be flown to troublespots. But the experience of roadside bombs and rockets has highlighted the need for heavier armour.

The Mod is trying to work out how extra protection can be added to the vehicle without putting on excessive weight.

The most basic armoured personnel carrier has gone up from 17 to 28 tons, meaning it could not be transported by the C-130 Hercules, the RAF’s workhorse cargo plane.

The Fres programme is intended to replace all of the army’s 1950s-designed Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles, its 1970s Saxon “battlefield taxis” common in Northern Ireland, and its 1960s armoured personnel carriers. The 1980s Warrior, an infantry fighting vehicle, is still considered viable.

The report, by the consultants Atkins for the defence select committee, says there is “little evidence” to back the MoD’s view that Fres can begin to enter service by the target date of 2012.

The MoD insists it is still aiming for 2012 for Fres, but senior planners say that with so much money and attention being devoted to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan the government’s blueprint to transform the armed forces into a nimble “expeditionary” structure is coming unstuck.

“The whole concept of the 1998 strategic defence review was to push for forces to rush out to trouble zones, restore order and return,” said one senior planner. “Instead, we’re stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan.”