Antonov Delivers First Ridgbacks to Brize

(August 14, 2008) -- The first customised Cougar 4x4 vehicles arrived at RAF Brize Norton this week, a month ahead of schedule, where the process of turning them into the new Ridgback protected vehicle will begin.

Arriving on a giant Antonov aircraft, the five Cougars rolled off the back of the transporter aircraft taking a step closer to being ready for use in Afghanistan. Once fully uparmoured and weaponised the Ridgback will join its bigger brother, the Mastiff, as the new protected vehicle on operations.

The MOD has ordered 157 customised Cougar 4x4 from the American company Force Protection Inc. as an urgent operational requirement (UOR). The UK will integrate additional protection, weapons, communications systems and specialist electronic counter-measures equipment onto the Cougar base vehicles in order to create the Ridgback vehicle.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Baroness Taylor said:

"Mastiff has been a huge success, well liked by troops on patrol, offering high levels of protection against mines and roadside bombs and it has saved our soldiers lives on many occasions. As a smaller version of the Cougar 6x6 vehicle which underpins Mastiff, the Cougar 4x4 was the natural choice to become the Ridgback protected vehicle.

"Ridgback will give our troops a further boost continuing the significant improvements we have made to the protection of our forces in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Source : UK MoD

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