More bite for Bulldog

More than 100 of the 14-tonne Bulldog vehicles have been up-armoured and have had extra equipment fitted to help meet the demands of operations in southern Iraq.

Bulldog can carry eight personnel plus two crew and has evolved from the FV430 series of vehicles which entered service in the 1960s. The latest version, which will see them in service by 2011, has been upgraded to improve capability and reliability.

New engines and transmissions are being fitted with new steering, electrical and cooling systems. It has a faster top speed - now up to around 45mph (72k/ph) - and can make a tighter turn. Engines are also quieter and have lower emissions.

The uparmoured version for Iraq sees further improvements. Extra armour protection helps the survivability of personnel while air conditioning is fitted for extra comfort. A protected weapon station is included for more safety and firepower while a driver's night vision system is fitted to give 24-hour operating capability.

Lieutenant Henry Russell-Blackburn, of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, a Bulldog commander in Basra, gave the vehicle ten out of ten.

He said: "For what it is designed to do, it is a fantastic vehicle. The fact that you can add tonnes of kit to it and it still does the job proves people knew exactly what they were doing when they built Bulldog. It is a very good vehicle and the work that it does in Basra shows how valuable it is to us."

About 900 vehicles in total are due to be upgraded in the improvement programme.