§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's requirement for new tracked and wheeled light tactical combat armoured vehicles; which currently operated vehicles are to be replaced; how many of these vehicles are currently in service; when he proposes to brief industry on the requirement; what are the approximate costs of the new requirement; over what time scale new vehicles are to be procured; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AitkenThe future requirement for new tracked and wheeled tactical combat armoured vehicles is under review. We plan to replace the majority of the tracked combat vehicle reconnaissance—CVR(T)—with a new vehicle in the early years of the next century; exact quantities will depend upon the results of a feasibility study and developing concept work. An industrial briefing on the new vehicle will be held on 16 September and the project is likely to cost around £2 billion. In addition, we are considering the replacement of the remaining CVR(T), FV430 series' vehicles and the combat engineer tractor (CET) early in the next century. The numbers of these vehicles currently held are:
Number FV430 series 2,536 CVR(T) 1,701 CET 140