The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
597.
A business
case for the procurement of 108 Cougar vehicles at an estimated
cost
of £73.1m
was submitted to the IAB on 20 July.310
It was a
joint case from the DEC(GM)
and SUV IPT
teams. One company of vehicles would be delivered by November
2006
and the
remaining vehicles by April 2007. The total requirement was for 510
vehicles for
Iraq and
150 for Afghanistan.
598.
The business
case stated that a “significant proportion of IEDs are EFPs,
which
have
constantly changing initiation methods and are difficult to
detect”.
599.
There were
currently 380 Snatch vehicles in Iraq, against a theatre
establishment
of
420:
“The Snatch
PPV provide the deployed force with a level of
manoeuvrability
and
survivability in order to conduct operations, however, the rapidly
evolving
asymmetric
threat faced on Ops TELIC and HERRICK have overmatched
the
capability
envelope of the Snatch PPV. Moreover, the majority of Snatch
deployed
on
Op TELIC are the 1.5 variant which is due to go out of service
from January
2007. With
a host of obsolescence issues, Snatch is no longer capable of
matching
the high
level of threat faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
600.
The business
case stated that there was “no specific operational analysis
to
support the
requirement” for a medium weight PPV but that it had been driven by
the
“rapidly
evolving threat”, namely EFPs. Work had been initiated by Brig
Inshaw “to define
the longer
term requirement to fulfil the future PPV capability”.
601.
The business
case considered four options:
•
To do the
minimum: deploy additional assets “and/or” reallocate assets
to
Op TELIC
and Op HERRICK. In Iraq that was likely to mean more
Warrior
vehicles
were deployed but “the current high usage rates” were already
having
a
detrimental effect on the ability to sustain the Warrior fleet in
the longer term.
That option
had “been discounted”.
•
RG31: That
solution was considered “immature” and had “been
discounted”.
•
Cougar 6x6:
The preferred solution with “proven mine protection
(in‑service
US Army
data)” and sufficient payload to mount armour necessary for
better
protection.
•
Bushmaster:
An Australian vehicle with mine protection that was in service
with
Australian
forces in Iraq. Up to 25 vehicles had been offered by the
Australian
Government
which could meet the “challenging timelines” but it would
need
further
investigation.
602.
The business
case proposed procuring the Cougar 6x6 through a Foreign
Military
Sales case
with the US (see Box, ‘The Cougar vehicle’). In assessing the
commercial
310
Report AD
CC DEC(GM) to IAB Sec, 20 July 2006, ‘UOR IO4165/AO1082 Business
Case for Medium
Protected
Patrol Vehicles’.
100