British parliamentarians are seriously concerned about the degradation of the combat capabilities of the country's armored units.

This is evidenced by a report published by the House of Commons Defense Committee.

Analyzing the procurement policy of the Ministry of Defense after the Cold War, lawmakers in the United Kingdom came to the conclusion that the armored forces are equipped mainly with outdated military equipment - the army has not received new models for more than 20 years.

“It is surprising that in the period from 1997 to the end of 2020, the Department of Military Equipment and Support did not put into service with the Army (Great Britain. -

RT

) any new armored vehicles provided for in the main procurement program, with the exception of a small number of engineering tanks and armored all-terrain vehicles Viking, ”the report says.

According to the Defense Committee, during this time at least £ 321 million was spent on rearmament programs, which were later canceled.

Another £ 2.8 billion from the budget, the authorities had to spend "on urgently filling gaps in (defense. -

RT

) potential."

“Failure to implement these programs means that some of the vehicles in service are either beginning to become obsolete or have already become obsolete, remaining in service much longer than planned.

This affects the general potential and combat effectiveness of the ground forces, especially in the face of a possible clash with such an adversary as Russia, ”the legislators admitted.

"Management miscalculations"

Currently, the basis of the fleet of armored units of Great Britain is the Challenger 2 tank, the Warrior IFV infantry vehicle, the CVR (T) reconnaissance armored vehicle and the FV430 / FV432 family of armored personnel carriers.

Challenger 2 is the newest operational armored vehicle in the United Kingdom.

This tank is an improved version of the Challenger 1, which was supplied to the British Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. 

  • Tank Challenger 2

  • AFP

  • © TONY NICOLETTI / POOL

The Challenger 2 entered service in 1998 and performed well during the 2003 Iraqi operation, according to a House of Commons defense committee report.

However, since then the car has not undergone any significant changes.

As noted by parliamentarians, Challenger 2 is inferior in its capabilities to NATO counterparts - the German Leopard II and the American Abrams.

Also, lawmakers fear that the British tracked vehicle will not be able to withstand Russian models, including the newest T-14 Armata tank.

The report cites the opinion of a retired officer, a well-known military consultant in the United Kingdom, Nicholas Drummond, who believes that it makes no sense for London to invest in the modernization of the Challenger 2. From an expert's point of view, the British authorities should purchase the latest Leopard II or Abrams modifications and focus on developing their own tank of the next generation by the 2040s.

“If we compare the Challenger 2 with other models, then it really does not have any advantages.

This tank was built with an emphasis on security.

As a result, the British increased its mass to almost 70 tons, so it became a sedentary machine.

Challenger 2 does not meet modern requirements, "Sergei Suvorov, candidate of military sciences, explained in an interview with RT. 

In addition, the report of the Defense Committee speaks of a very difficult situation that has developed with the modernization of the Warrior IFV infantry fighting vehicles - the shortcomings of this machine were identified during the Afghan operation.

The key problem with the British model is its inability to fire on the move.

In addition, the BMP is vulnerable to large improvised explosive devices that the enemy lays underground.

The Warrior IFV entered service in the late 1980s, and since then its combat potential has remained almost unchanged.

In 2009, the UK Department of Defense launched the BMP Life Extension Program (WCSP), which included the installation of new armor plates, turrets, weapons and electronic devices.

The contractor was the British branch of the American corporation Lockheed Martin, but the implementation of the WCSP was delayed.

Initially, it was planned to complete the modernization of the Warrior IFV fleet in 2017, but then this deadline was shifted to 2024.

In addition, additional funding of £ 227 million was required.

The British lawmakers explained the delay in the implementation of the WCSP by the difficulties encountered by the designers of Lockheed Martin UK when integrating a new turret and a modern 40-mm gun on the aging platform.

In addition, the caseless ammunition for the Advanced Warrior IFV's cannon was found to be prohibitively expensive.

According to parliamentarians, the problems with the modernization of Warrior IFV indicate "extremely weak in recent years control over the implementation of programs for the supply of ground forces" by the military administration of the country.

The most obsolete equipment of the British armored forces remains the FV430 / FV43 armored personnel carriers, the production of which was deployed in 1962.

The last modernization of these machines took place in the second half of the 2000s and early 2010s.

The APC fleet was upgraded to the Mk3 Bulldog version, which received improved armor, a new engine and a number of other components.

  • FV430 / FV432 armored personnel carrier

  • Reuters

  • © Ints Kalnins

Nevertheless, the House of Commons Defense Committee, referring to an earlier parliamentary investigation, insists that the FV430 / FV432 family is hopelessly outdated and should be replaced earlier than the planned decommissioning date.

An alternative to the current armored personnel carriers is the German-Dutch family of Boxer multipurpose armored vehicles.

London showed interest in this machine back in the 1990s, but decided to give preference to its own project FRES (Future Rapid Effects System), considering the Boxer too heavy to be transported by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

However, the FRES program did not live up to the expectations of the military and was too expensive.

Today, the United Kingdom Department of Defense hopes to receive more than 500 German-Dutch armored personnel carriers.

The start of deliveries is scheduled for 2023.

Another obsolete platform of the British armored forces is the CVR (T) reconnaissance vehicle, which has been in service since the 1970s.

It should be replaced by the Ajax vehicle family.

It is planned to allocate £ 4.6 billion for the purchase of 549 units of this equipment.

General Dynamics Land Systems UK, based in Wales, is responsible for the production of the machines.

However, as reported in the report, during the implementation of the project, a number of problems arose, including the protracted harmonization of Ajax requirements from the military and technical difficulties in integrating the 40-mm gun.

As a result, the delivery times were shifted. 

“The current major delay in the implementation of the Ajax program is another example of chronic management miscalculations on the part of the Department of Defense and its inactive procurement apparatus.

This is particularly troubling as Ajax plays a critical role in the creation and deployment of new ground strike brigades, which should be a key part of their future battle formation, ”the report said.

"Parade army"

The Defense Committee report also argues that due to outdated and failed programs to modernize armored vehicles, the personnel of the British army were insufficiently protected during the Iraqi and Afghan campaigns.

Currently, according to lawmakers, servicemen stationed in Estonia, near the border with the Russian Federation, are exposed to a potential threat.

British troops are equipped with light armored vehicles, including the FV430 armored personnel carrier.

Also, members of the Defense Committee are worried about the intention of the Ministry of Defense to leave only one tank-equipped unit in the British Armed Forces by 2025.

We are talking about the 3rd mechanized division.

  • Reconnaissance armored vehicle CVR (T) of the British Armed Forces

  • AFP

  • © MICHAEL DUNLEA / POOL

According to retired Brigadier General Ben Barry, whose opinion is given in the report, as a result of the reform being carried out by the military department, this unit will be significantly inferior in combat potential to the Russian tank division.

In an interview with RT, military expert Alexei Khlopotov generally agreed with the conclusions of the defense committee.

According to him, today "there is no need to talk about any potential of the British armored forces."

“Great Britain has reduced its ground forces to the scale of a parade army.

According to open sources, only 62 Challenger 2 tanks are currently in service. Moreover, the Defense Ministry plans to further reduce their numbers.

It is possible that in the future the tank fleet can be replaced by Ajax armored vehicles, which, of course, are inferior to tanks in terms of security and firepower, ”Khlopotov argues.

The expert explains the failure of the British authorities in rearming the armored forces by the degradation of personnel and the country's defense industry after the Cold War.

Currently, according to Khlopotov, the United Kingdom is not capable of producing tanks and armored vehicles without cooperation with foreign enterprises.

“Great Britain fell into a very strong technological dependence on foreign countries, primarily on Germany, which supplies the British with its engines, guns and other components.

In my opinion, this is a shameful situation for Great Britain with its deep military traditions, ”Khlopotov says.

From the point of view of Sergei Suvorov, the main reason for the degradation of the British armored forces was a certain "relaxation" due to the absence of real threats to national security.

According to the expert, the parliamentarians and the British authorities are deliberately cunning, talking about a possible conflict with the Russian Federation in Eastern Europe.

“With the end of the Cold War, the prospect of large-scale hostilities on the ground has disappeared for the British.

In fact, it does not exist even now.

Following the political conjuncture, today the British are talking about the "Russian threat", but all this alarmism has no real basis and is necessary only as a pretext for increasing the military budget, "concluded Suvorov.