Ministry of Defence insists vehicles are suitable for conditions in Iraq after sergeant complains of ‘massive’ overheating issue

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Ministry of Defence has said its armoured vehicles are “dealing with the demanding conditions in Iraq” after reports claiming light patrol Foxhounds have broken down in the heat.



The vehicles, first deployed in Afghanistan in 2012, were described as providing “unparalleled protection for [their] weight and class”.

The MoD spent more than £370m on the 400 Foxhounds that were brought in to replace the Snatch Land Rover.

Last month, the defence secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, apologised to the families of the 37 British soldiers killed while travelling in lightly armoured Snatch Land Rovers. He wrote to families apologising for delays in bringing in alternative protected vehicles “which could have saved lives”.

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However, the BBC has quoted an unnamed sergeant as saying the replacement vehicles had reliability issues in the heat. “They break down all the time. They cannot handle the heat. They have a massive problem with it. At 50 degrees the engine cooks out,” the sergeant said.

The sergeant, who did not want to be named, said the vehicles kept overheating. He said he had to alter the bonnets to try to increase the air supply to cool down the engines.

Tools were not provided to deal with this so he bought his own specialist equipment, he said.

An MoD spokeswoman said: “Foxhound has dealt with the demanding conditions in Iraq, kept our soldiers safe and is delivering the required operational output in the defeat of Daesh [Islamic State].

“The urgent operational requirement (UOR) programme has saved countless lives in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Decisions on which equipment to continue to support and which to sell are made with current and future operational requirements in mind.”

Last year the Chilcot inquiry found a string of Ministry of Defence failings in the preparation for the Iraq war, including a delay in replacing Snatch Land Rovers, which were vulnerable to bombs.

A number of families have been given the go-ahead to bring compensation claims against the government under legislation covering negligence and human rights.

The Foxhound was on a list of military equipment put into service for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under UOR rules.

In April 2009, the MoD bought 75 Springer all-terrain vehicles for more than £7m. They are now being sold for less than £10,000 each.



The MoD is also selling its fleet of 85 Warthog armoured vehicles, which were purchased in 2010 for £150m.