Web Page sponsored by MILLBROOK

Tel: +44 (0) 1525 408408

www.millbrook.co.uk/military

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23 Jul 12. SCOUT Wheel contract. Sources close to BATTLESPACE state that GDELS has placed the wheel contract for Scout with a non-UK Company. The source said that GKN was preferred bidder before the MTBF for Scout was increased from a reported 500,000 hours to we understand to be 5 million hours = 13 years operation? This makes a mockery of GDUK’s supremo Sandy Wilson’s pledge in 2011 “We promised that we would deliver a vehicle with the best protection for British troops, the best value for money for the British taxpayer, the best deal for the UK industrial base.” So far the powertrain, wheels, hull, turret (via LMUK), canon all come from outside the UK. Where is the value to UK and what value is the taxpayer getting for £500m for 7 vehicles! In fact this is a good example of jobs and capability being exported form the UK with the likely outcome being the end of armoured vehicle manufacturing in the UK as stated by Lord Drayson with the loss of thousands of key SME engineering jobs.

29 Jul 12. Qatar wants to buy up to 200 Leopard tanks from Germany, with a potential value of up to €2bn (US$2.5bn), German magazine Spiegel reported on Sunday, without citing sources. The German security council, comprised of the Chancellor and key ministers, which decides whether to allow such trades, has not yet discussed Qatar’s request, Spiegel said, adding the economy ministry and the Chancellery would give their support. A spokeswoman for the economy ministry declined to comment. The tanks are made by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) in collaboration with German industrial group Rheinmetall. (Source: ArabianBusiness.com/Reuters)

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Millbrook, based in Bedfordshire, UK, makes a significant contribution to the quality and performance of military vehicles worldwide. Its specialist expertise is focussed in two distinct areas: test programmes to help armed services and their suppliers ensure that their vehicles and systems work as the specification requires; and design and build work to upgrade new or existing vehicles, evaluate vehicle capability and investigate in-service failures. Complementing these is driver and service training and a hospitality business that allows customers to use selected areas of Millbrook’s remarkable facilities for demonstrations and exhibitions.