LONDON – General Dynamics UK is discussing a possible further order with the British Army for an updated version of its Foxhound protected patrol vehicle, the company said.
A Mk 2 version of the vehicle, which could include a hybrid-electric variant, is expected to be offered to the British Army for a requirement known as the land mobility pipeline.
The British acquired 400 Foxhounds in 2012 to equip the infantry with a vehicle that is primarily protected against mine explosions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Now the company hopes to bring the vehicle back into production with an updated version of the Foxhound that meets the Army’s requirements under the Land Mobility Pipeline – formerly called the Protected Mobility Pipeline.
“It’s still relatively early, but we’ve described it to them [the British Army] what we think the Mk2 would look like. “It’s a pretty active conversation with them about the vehicle,” a company spokesperson told Defense News. “We’re still waiting to see exactly what the requirements are, but we want Foxhound to be a candidate.”
Responding to questions in Parliament in June, Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said the land mobility program was currently in the concept phase.
“Subject to confirmation during the approval process, the program is expected to aim to deliver four categories of platforms,” he said, with a general support variant on the wish list alongside light, medium and heavily protected versions.
Defense Ministry officials said last year that the program would be funded at 1 billion pounds, or $1.2 billion, from 2025.
An important improvement could be the installation of a hybrid engine.
The General Dynamics spokesman said a hybrid variant may not be standard equipment for Foxhound, but it could make up a portion of the fleet.
The company was awarded a contract by the Department of Defense in 2020 to perform demonstration work with the Army on an electric-powered Foxhound as part of its then-protected mobility program.
“We have created prototype demonstrators with hybrid propulsion, so that is quite mature,” the spokesman said.
Andrew Chuter is the UK correspondent for Defense News.
Source : www.defensenews.com