Fix underway as MAN vehicle fleet's problems down to parts fitted wrongly

The UK's entire fleet of around 6,000 MAN Support Vehicles are being fitted with replacement parts after some were damaged because they were fitted incorrectly, it has emerged.

BFBS Forces News understands the issue was raised following a number of propshaft failures with MAN vehicles in Army use – although the type is used across all three services.

Only a small number of trucks were affected, but once the threshold of 10 problems in the space of two years was detected, the use of the whole fleet was halted so the problem could be rectified.

• Armed Forces at work: Take a look at some stunning images from land, sea and air
• Kukri to cookery: Soldiers return to their Nepalese roots with a Gurkha curry
• Vital work unseen, but not unfelt as Armed Forces' first fast-track cyber warriors graduate

An Army error

The problem concerns the incorrect fitting of propshaft components. No personnel are thought to have been hurt, and only the wrongly fitted parts were damaged.

Remedial work is already underway, with some vehicles understood to have already been returned to service after replacement parts were correctly installed.

Special emphasis is being placed on those vehicles deployed on operations, such as those on Operation Cabrit, the UK's brigade-sized contribution to Nato's Forward Land Forces in Estonia and Poland.

The cost of the remedial work is hard to ascertain, but because MAN is not responsible for the error, it will most likely be borne by the MOD.

The fix is not expected to be completed across the fleet until some time next year. 

MAN Support Vehicles

The family of MAN Support Vehicles entered service with the British Army in 2008, becoming the "workhorse" of the service in terms of logistics.

The Support Vehicle fleet provides far greater mobility than previous generation cargo vehicles and can be fitted with armour, communications and electronics countermeasures equipment, as well as a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun for protection.

There are several variants of the MAN SV, all of which are affected by the issue. These include:

:: Six-tonne (Medium Mobility)

:: Nine-tonne (Medium Mobility) and (Improved Medium Mobility)

:: 15-tonne (Medium Mobility)

:: Unit Support Tanker (UST) (Medium Mobility and Improved Medium Mobility)

:: Recovery Vehicle (Improved Medium Mobility)

Safety a priority

An MOD spokesperson said: "The safety and wellbeing of our personnel is our utmost priority.

"A number of MAN Military Support Vehicles have been affected by a mechanical fault. On the recommendation of the Defence Safety Authority, we have paused using the vehicles while action is taken to replace the affected parts.

"There are no wider underlying safety concerns with the vehicle.

"With the implementation of specified safety checks and risk assessments, some vehicles can continue to be used within certain limitations."