§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Challenger 2 tanks are allocated to each tank regiment in the British Army; and how many are off-road in each case; [62223]
(2) how many Scimitars there are in the British Army; and how many are off-road; [62225]
(3) how many Warrior armoured personnel carriers are allocated to each armoured infantry regiment in the British Army; and how many are off-road in each case. [62224]
§ Mr. IngramThe numbers of Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior armoured personnel carriers allocated to tank and armoured infantry regiments in the British Army and their availability are shown in the tables. 337W
Challenger 2 Regiment Allocated Not fully operational
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 48 9 2nd Royal Tank Regiment 44 8 The Royal Dragoon Guards 44 16 The Queen's Royal Hussars 30 13 The Queen's Royal Lancers 54 18 The King's Royal Hussars 44 0 Total 264 64
Warrior Battalion (Bn) Allocated Not fully operational
1st Bn The Irish Guards 53 7 1st Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment 44 22 1st Bn The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 54 3 1st Bn The Black Watch 53 13 1st Bn The Royal Regiment of Wales 18 0 1st Bn The Light Infantry 35 8 1st Bn The Staffordshire Regiment 39 3 1st Bn The King's Regiment 31 8 1st Bn The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment 39 14 Total 366 78 The information is recorded quarterly and the figures represent the position as at 31 March 2002.
As at 31 March 2002, 64 of the 316 Scimitars in the British Army were reported not to be fully operational.
The overall totals for vehicle types are broadly in line with availability targets and, as shown in the following table, vehicle availability has improved significantly, particularly in the case of the Challenger 2, since the last return in December last year.
Equipment type Challenger 2 Warrior Scimitars Total fleet 264 366 316 % operational 31 December 2001 62 72 83 % operational 31 March 2002 76 79 80 % target availability 80 75 70 In addition, it should be noted that if any of the units were required to deploy on operations, any shortfalls would be made good to ensure that the units deployed with a full complement of vehicles.