£207m spent on FRES to date

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Ministry of Defence has spent £207m on the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) programme so far, including £133m on the FRES utility vehicle (UV), it has been revealed.

The figures, released following a freedom of information request by The Times, show £6m was spent on an initial concept phase for FRES, £133m on the FRES Utility Vehicle, and that £68m has been spent on the FRES Specialist Vehicle project.

The Times quote military insiders as saying that the costs were split between paying the salaries of managers and consultants working on the project, as well as paying some of the costs of the companies involved.

The MoD confirmed to the newspaper that £14 million of the total had been spent on administration, and said the costs were not excessive.

An MoD spokesman said: "The Specialist Vehicle fleet will provide improved protection against a wide range of threats and bring significant benefits to the Army, including greater firepower, longer-range sensors and sighting systems and a higher level of reliability, and is one of the highest equipment priorities for the Army.

"The vital work that has so far been done on the Utility Vehicle element will inform the remainder of the programme. That money has not been wasted.

"Considering the overall size of the programme and its importance in equipping our Armed Forces this is not an excessive assessment-phase spend."

General Dynamics UK won the FRES SV demonstration phase contract in March this year.