1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
Oshkosh tanks on
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• by Colin Barnett The Ministry of Defence has appointed Oshkosh as the preferred bidder for its contract to supply 350 front-line fuel and water tankers. The vehicles will be assembled at the Oshkosh factory at Llantrisant, creating 128 new jobs alongside the 160 currently assembling Geesink Norba refuse vehicles.
A further 28 should be employed at ABRO (the former Army Base Repair Organisation) in Warminster, which will carry out some in-service support under sub-contract.
The winning vehicle is based on the Oshkosh MTVR 6x6, powered by a Caterpillar C12 Euro-3 engine rated at 445hp with 2,100Nm of torque, with a sixspeed Allison HD4560P transmission. The tandem-axle trailer is provided by Magyar SA running on BPW air suspension, with pumping equipment by the German liquid-handling specialist Alfons Haar. It is intended to refuel everything on the battlefield from light vehicles to tanks and helicopters. Deliveries will begin in 2005, when the tankers begin a planned 15-year operational life.
The announcement of the preferred bidder appointment was supported by senior politi cians, including Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach, and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, as well as local council leaders. However, pleasure at the decision is not universal. Llantrisant residents are reported to be concerned at increased traffic levels.
More aggressive opposition, though, comes in the form of a series of strongly worded statements issued on behalf of Yorkshire's Multidrive, a member of the unsuccessful consortium led by Marshall's. They question both the operational ability of the Oshkosh product and the overall economic benefits to the UK of the contract. Describing the decision as 'completely perverse and unbelievable", Multidrive claims that the new vehicle's non-driven trailer results in inferior off-road performance to the (Multidrive) vehicle currently in service, and that it fails to meet the requirements of the initial invitation to tender. It is also critical of a grant from the Welsh Assembly which, it alleges, effectively subsidises the new jobs.
However, an MoD spokesman adds: "We've sourced an excellent deal for the armed forces and got the best value for the British taxpayer."