5 Conclusion
92. Nine years on from the Strategic Defence Review,
the Army's requirement for a medium-weight vehicle remains unmet.
Despite having spent £188 million on the TRACER and MRAV
programmes and at least £120 million so far on FRES, the
solution is nothing more tangible than a concept.
93. This is
a sorry story of indecision, constantly changing requirements
and delay. We are concerned that the FRES requirement may simply
be unachievable without a major technical breakthrough. The tension
between the survivability and deployability is particularly acute:
satisfying both requirements may prove impossible. It is high
time the MoD decided where its priorities lay. We shall take further
evidence on the FRES programme in the Autumn of this year.
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