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Foxhound MoD Vehicles 'keep Breaking Down'

Soldiers say the Foxhound cannot handle the heat in Iraq and Afghanistan

Armoured vehicles designed to protect British troops from roadside bombs keep breaking down, the BBC understands.

Foxhounds - first deployed in 2012 - were designed to safeguard soldiers in a blast and operate in hot conditions.

An Army sergeant in Iraq, responsible for maintaining a fleet of seven Foxhounds, told the BBC the vehicle was "a massive waste of money".

The Ministry of Defence said Foxhound had dealt with "demanding conditions in Iraq" and was "keeping soldiers safe".

The vehicle replaced the "snatch" Land Rover, which was dubbed the "mobile coffin" after 37 troops died while travelling in the vehicles.

'Cooks out'

It was designed specifically to operate in the hot and dusty climate of Helmand in Afghanistan, with each vehicle costing nearly £1m.

Foxhounds are used in Afghanistan and Iraq to transport soldiers who are training local forces and providing force protection.

But troops say there are serious problems with their reliability.

The Army sergeant, who did not want to be named, said the vehicles keep overheating.

"They break down all the time. They cannot handle the heat, they have a massive problem with it.

"At 50 degrees the engine cooks out."

He said he was having to strip the vehicles down every five or six weeks to keep them running. Normally, this would only be done twice a year.

Army base 'workshop'

The soldier said he had had to alter the bonnets to try to increase the air supply to cool down the engines.

Tools were not provided to deal with this so he bought his own specialist equipment, he said.

But an Army source later disputed that claim.

The "snatch" Land Rovers were originally designed for the Northern Ireland conflict

The Ministry of Defence bought 400 Foxhounds - costing £370m - after it was criticised for taking too long to provide troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with proper protection.

The vehicle first entered service in 2012. Until then, troops in the war zones were often patrolling in the lightly armoured "snatch" Land Rover - originally designed for the streets of Northern Ireland.

'Surplus kit'

In 2016, the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War said the MoD had been too slow to respond to the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and in replacing the vehicle.

The MoD said British troops were getting the very best protection when the "snatch" Land Rover was replaced with the Foxhound.

Foxhounds cost almost £1m each

But defence sources did not dispute there had been reliability issues.

The Foxhound was among a long list of military equipment put into service for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under "Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR)" rules to meet the needs of soldiers in battle.

Some of that kit has now ended up surplus to requirements.

In April 2009, the MoD bought 75 Springer All Terrain Vehicles at a cost of more than £7m. They are now being sold for less than £10,000 each.

The MoD is also selling off its fleet of 85 Warthog armoured vehicles first purchased in 2010 for £150m.

The MoD says the UOR programme has "saved countless soldiers' lives" in Iraq and Afghanistan and that there are no plans to sell the Foxhound.

A spokesman added: "Decisions on which equipment to continue to support and which to sell are made with current operational requirements in mind."

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Russia's MiG-31 Foxhound 'Fighter' Can Hit Mach 2.8

What You Need to Know: The Russian MiG-31 Foxhound, known for its remarkable speed of Mach 2.83, remains a critical asset in Russia's aerial fleet even after four decades. Upgrades on the MiG-31I variant, including air refueling, new avionics, and enhanced missile systems, extend its range and combat potential.

-Originally developed for high-speed interception rather than agility, the MiG-31 boasts advanced phased-array radar for long-range target tracking.

-While rumors persist about its Cold War encounters with U.S. SR-71 spy planes, the MiG-31 is slated to serve until at least 2030, solidifying its role in Russian and Kazakhstani defenses.

Described as the "fastest operational combat aircraft in the world," the Mikoyan MiG-31 (NATO reporting name Foxhound) has been in service for more than four decades, but it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The aircraft has received several key updates over the past 40 years, and it was reported months back that the latest variant, the MiG-31I, has been upgraded and received an air refueling system to increase the combat radius.

The MiG-31 is reported to be able to hit Mach 2.83, according to most analyses. 

"MiG-31I fighters of the Russian long-range aviation received a possibility to refuel in the air and increased the combat engagement distance," a source in the Russian defense industry told state media outlet Tass, while another source added that the MiG-31I differs from the previous MiG-31K as it is outfitted with "different engines, avionics, and missiles."

Tass quoted the Izvestia daily military newspaper, which reported that the "MiG-31I will be able to refuel in the air. The fighter has electronic systems that increase the flight characteristics and capabilities. The jet is equipped with an electronic remote control system and onboard computers that automatically bring the jet into the required trajectory and fire a hypersonic missile at the calculated time."

Though an older platform, the upgrades should enable the MiG-31 to remain in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces for years to come.

The MiG-31 in the Crosshairs

Derived from the MiG-25 (NATO reporting name Foxbat) interceptor and equipped with state-of-the-art digital avionics, the MiG-31 long-range supersonic aircraft has maintained a certain mystique in the West, in part because there remains much speculation over all of its capabilities. Its reported airframe comprises 49 percent arc-welded nickel steel, 33 percent light metal alloy, 16 percent titanium, and two percent composites.

Unlike the MiG-25, it has two seats, with the rear occupied by a dedicated weapon systems officer.

The MiG-31 also was designed to work efficiently in all weather conditions, while its highly aerodynamic and streamlined body enabled it to fly at low altitudes with required supersonic speeds. It is equipped with efficient low-bypass-ratio turbofan engines, which allow an increase in combat range.

Though the MiG-31 was not developed for close combat or rapid turning, it was the first soviet fighter aircraft to have true look-down and shoot-down capability, while it could track multiple targets simultaneously at high altitudes.

Moreover, the MiG-31's Zaslon radar was the world's first phased-array unit, which had a range of 200 km. It could track 10 targets simultaneously, and control the engagement of 4 of them at once. Until 2001 – when the Japanese Mitsubishi F-2 with an advanced phased-array radar was adopted – the MiG-31 was the world's only serial fighter aircraft to be equipped with such a phased-array radar.

There have been rumors that during the late Cold War, a MiG-31 Foxhound may have been used to chase after the U.S. Military's SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and reportedly locked on with its missiles, but as the American reconnaissance aircraft was never employed to overfly Soviet airspace. Whether the incidence occurred has remained a matter of conjecture at best.

Still in Service

The MiG-31 took its maiden flight in September 1975 and production of the aircraft began in 1979, while it formally entered service in 1982.

The MiG-31 was never exported by the Soviet Union, and a total of 519 were produced. Most have remained in service with the Russian Air Force, while some thirty are reported to be in service with the Kazakhstan Air Force.

However, Syria had reportedly ordered eight of the MiG-31E aircraft in 2007, while the order was suspended due to Israeli pressure along with a lack of Syrian funds. More recently, Turkish news media has reported that six of the aircraft may have been delivered for use by the Syrian Arab Air Force, but Russia has denied that it actually sold the aircraft to Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry expects the MiG-31 to remain in service until 2030 or beyond.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu, Defense Expert 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

You can email the author: [email protected].

All images are Creative Commons. 

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