Page 3

CONTRACTS AND DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS


	Winning £10m contract will maintain close links with the Army

		A £10 million contract to provide maintenance and repair service for all the Challenger 2 training systems used by the British Army in the UK and Germany has been won by Vickers Defence Systems. The state-of-the-art training packages designed by Vickers teaches troops how to handle what the British Army rates as the world's most formidable main battle tanks sophisticated navigation, radar, targeting and gunnery systems. BENCHMARK The new contract will see Vickers become responsible for maintenance of those systems, which are used in seven UK bases and four in Germany. Col Christopher Day, Commandant of the Armour Centre at Bovington, where the Vickers systems have revolutionised tank crew training, said: "What we have here for Challenger 2 is a benchmark of how training should be done, and it is also a benchmark of how to establish relations with the private sector.


	Specialist Engines preferred bidder

A MAJOR step forward has been taken in the UK Ministry of Defence's Field Electrical Power Supplies (FEPS) programme with the appointment of Vickers Specialist Engines as preferred bidder.
The FEPS programme is estimated to have a total value of more than £100 million over a 15-20 years period.
The is private finance initiative project involving the design, development, supply, maintenance and finance of a fleet of more than 1300 trailer-mounted field mobile generator sets for the British Army.
As preferred bidder, Specialist Engines will work exclusively with its partners and the MoD towards the signing of a contract early in 2001.
Les Lloyd, Battlefield Infrastructure Team leader within the MoD Defence Procurement

Agency, commented: "I am enthusiastic about pursuing this exciting initiative to a successful conclusion and providing the Service with the first class FEPS capability."
The specialist knowledge of Vickers and its partners has ensured that the most cost-effective and practical solution was offered to the MoD.
To support this, commercial off-the-shelf components have been used wherever possible to provide quality, reliability and ease of maintenance with low through-life costs.
Jim Vickerman, Managing Director of Vickers Specialist Engines, said: "FEPS is an excellent product. The UK MoD contract will provide a solid platform from which to launch the FEPS technology overseas."


	PLASTIC TANK GOES THROUGH ITS PACES


		UNVEILED to the media is the revolutionary new Advanced Composite Armoured Vehicle Platform (ACAVP), developed in partnership between DERA (the Defence Evaluation and research Agency) and Vickers Defence Systems.

	This is the world's first armoured fighting vehicle with the plastic/glass fibre composite hull, rather that the traditionally-used aluminium or steel hull. It represents the most revolutionary change in AFV materials since the introduction of aluminium in the early 1960s. ACAVP, a materials demonstration vehicle programme, was unveiled and demonstrated at DERA Chertsey. The project was funded by the MoD and the team led by DERA included VDS as a major partner responsible for designing and assembling the vehicle. The vehicle, developed with support from Ciba, Hexcel and Pekrins Engines, has stemmed from a need to maintain and improve the survivability of light-weight AFV structures. The ACAVP hull is made from E-glass, a plastic/glass fibre composite manufactured by Vosper Thornycroft using Vacuum Infusion Moulding process. The use of composites in military vehicles is predominantly driven by the material's ability to reduce hull and armour weight efficiency of composite materials and by eliminating the need for a separate composite spall liner. Weight reduction increases both tactical mobility of the vehicle in terms of vehicle speed and ability to cross rugged terrain, and strategic mobility in terms of being air portable. The use of composite materials also allows stealth features to


	The revolutionary Advanced Composite Armoured Vehicle Platform, above, in action at Chertsey, and, left, tackling rough ground.

be built into the vehicles hull, thus reducing its radar signature.
Composites have found acceptance in planes, trains and cars, and increasing interest is being shown in their use for military vehicles.
The ACAVP demonstrator is based on a future scout reconnaissance vehicle with a battle weight of between 18-25 tonnes and highlights the effectiveness of composites for military applications with a ballistic requirement.
The composite armour design not only increases ballistic protection against small arms and larger threats, but also reduces behind-the-armour damage inside the vehicle, leading to increased crew survivability.
An additional advantage is the material's damping capacity, which reduces noise both inside and outside the vehicle. This results in lower crew fatigue and a lower acoustic signature for the vehicle.
The composite is also easy to machine, relatively cheap compared to alternatives and offers corrosion resistance when the vehicles are used in wet/salt water conditions.
DERA told media attending the unveiling that by developing the ACAVP demonstrator with Vickers, the MoD has ensured that the British fighting vehicle industry will remain at the forefront of technology developments, thus maintaining its continued success in producing world class armoured fighting vehicles.
ACAVP benefited from the extra-ordinary teamwork of the consortium members and the gifting of a significant part of the man-hour costs by VDS.
The success of the programme has demonstrated both the technological and financial effectiveness of close partnership between DERA and industry.
DERA scientists are confident that further weight savings are achievable based on their continuing research into new materials and design methods.
The Vickers team directed by Les Tyler and led by Mark Dean was Neil Craig, Paul Drake, Dave Scott, John Walton, Dick Constable, Andy Gunn and terry Priestman.


	Spare parts contract worth a CRISP £70m




	Picture – David Broadbent, Ian McNeeney, Kevin Norris and Ian Bilclough mark CRISP contract success.

A CONTRACT to provide spare parts and logistic services in support of the British Army's Challenger 2 main battle tank has been won by Vickers Defence Systems.
The ChallengeR Innovative Spares Provision (CVRISP) contract is estimated to be worth £70m and will be for an initial period of seven years.
If significant cost and service performance benefits are realised, then the contract could be extended to cover the full in-service life of Challenger 2 – some 25 years.
Under the CRISP contract, Vickers will enter into an agreement with the newly-formed Defence Logistics Organisation.
CRISP will reduce the cost of ownership of Challenger 2 to the MoD and improve spare part availability for the British Army. Spares will be provided "when needed", rather than procured in bulk, thus reducing stockholding and repair times.


	Vickers is working with Multipart Defence Logistics to deliver the service standards required by the CRISP contract. Multipart enjoys a proven track record in high-quality and efficient logistic support. VDS has a prime contractor and design authority responsibility for Challenger 2, and collaboration between the two companies will result in a seamless supply chain solution.

John Broughton, Vickers Defence Systems Marketing and Sales Director, said: "The signing of this contract is an excellent example of Smart Procurement in action. It represents works for at least seven years but, more importantly, it allows us to continue to develop partnerships with our customer well after the product has been delivered. We hope that CRISP will become a flagship for the management of all of the Army's armoured vehicle fleet."
Major General David Judd, Director General Equipment Support (Land) commented: "This contract is the culmination of 18 months' negotiation by the Tank Systems Support Integrated Project Team.
It marks the beginning of a new phase in MoD-industry relations in the SMART Procurement era. Though underwritten by a contract with taut performance measures, we anticipate working with Vickers and their services provider, Multipart, in a win-win partnering style.
"The service will not only reduce whole life costs but, importantly, substantially improve the service received by soldiers in the field. We are very happy with our selected partners and look forward to demonstrating success and subsequently building on that success to develop further ideas."