Warriors' £1 billion upgrade announced 25.10.11
42A £1 billion upgrade of the Army's Warrior armoured vehicles was announced today. Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond made the announcement during a visit to Lockheed Martin UK in Bedford. The upgrade is to extend the service life of the vehicles through to 2040 and beyond. Mr Hammond said: "As a key step towards meeting our requirements for Future Force 2020, the upgraded Warriors will give commanders and their soldiers greater flexibility and firepower." The Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans to award the contract to Lockheed Martin UK for the demonstration and manufacture of the upgraded vehicles, which it said will create and sustain around 600 jobs at the firm and its suppliers. Hundreds of vehicles will be fitted with an improved turret and new, stabilised 40mm cannon enabling them to fire more accurately while on the move. They will also benefit from a new armour mounting system which will allow them to be fitted with different types of armour. The head of the Army, Chief of General Staff General Sir Peter Wall, who also visited the firm, said: "This announcement of an upgrade to one of the Army's most important fighting vehicles is extremely welcome. "Warrior will continue to be at the heart of our combat capability for at least another 25 years with state-of-the-art firepower and electronics. "Wherever the Army deploys, our infantry will depend on its superior protection, mobility and lethality. This will be a battle winner." Mr Cameron said the upgrade meant Britain's armed forces were going to have "really good equipment". He said: "We made difficult decisions in the strategic spending review so we could spend money on important equipment like this. "It's a £1 billion investment, 90 per cent of the jobs and the work are going to be done here in the UK. " Four soldiers, one a close friend of Prince William, died in Iraq in April 2007 when a bomb ripped through the unprotected underside of their Warrior vehicle. At the inquest into their deaths, coroner David Masters said troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan needed better protection. The explosive device was buried in a road in Basra and was detonated as the Warrior passed over it. Second Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, 24, who was at Sandhurst military academy with William, died in the blast. The other victims were: Corporal Kris O'Neill, 27, from Catterick, North Yorkshire, of the Royal Army Medical Corps; Private Eleanor Dlugosz, 19, from Southampton, also of the Royal Army Medical Corps, and Kingsman Adam James Smith, 19, from Liverpool, of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. Recording verdicts of unlawful killing, David Masters, coroner for Wiltshire, told an inquest in Trowbridge he would be meeting the then Armed Forces minister Bob Ainsworth to recommend the armour issue was dealt with speedily.