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| UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb attack were in latest Mastiff 3 vehicle | UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb attack were in latest Mastiff 3 vehicle |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Ministry of Defence has said that three soldiers who were killed in Helmand province after a roadside bomb attack were travelling in the latest Mastiff 3 armoured vehicle. | The Ministry of Defence has said that three soldiers who were killed in Helmand province after a roadside bomb attack were travelling in the latest Mastiff 3 armoured vehicle. |
| The US-made Mastiff has previously been praised by soldiers for its resilience in bomb attacks. | The US-made Mastiff has previously been praised by soldiers for its resilience in bomb attacks. |
| The six-wheeler all-terrain vehicle is understood to make up the biggest part of the British armed forces' 450-strong armoured patrol fleet or "protected mobility" vehicles currently deployed in Afghanistan. | The six-wheeler all-terrain vehicle is understood to make up the biggest part of the British armed forces' 450-strong armoured patrol fleet or "protected mobility" vehicles currently deployed in Afghanistan. |
| The Mastiff, which was first deployed in Afghanistan in 2007, is a heavily armoured, troop-carrying vehicle suitable for road patrols and convoys. It cancan travel at speeds of up to 55mph (90 kmh) and can carry eight people. It is based on the US Cougar built for the US Marine Corps and manufactured by Force Protection Inc. Deployment of the vehicle was stepped up after dozens of British soldiers were killed in soft-top Snatch Land Rovers. | |
| Other vehicles such as the Viking – which is built to travel through water - have proven extremely vulnerable to roadside bombs, but on Wednesday Lt Col Lincoln Jopp MC, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Mastiff 3 had a reputation of being a safe vehicle. "It has served us very well indeed." | |
| "Whilst you can do everything possible to try and mitigate the risks you can't eradicate them totally and nothing is indestructible," he said. | "Whilst you can do everything possible to try and mitigate the risks you can't eradicate them totally and nothing is indestructible," he said. |
| Responding to increasing sophistication of attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) the Mastiff 3 replaced the earlier Mastiff 1 (Ridgeback) and 2, and is now manufactured with opening front doors for easier exit during attack and a six-speed gear box. They continue to be kitted out with "electronic countermeasure" devices which jam incoming signals to stop IED's from being set off remotely. | |
| The vehicles also have two rear hatches, a 360-degree motorised turret or "top cover" and six cameras with thermal imaging capability. | The vehicles also have two rear hatches, a 360-degree motorised turret or "top cover" and six cameras with thermal imaging capability. |
| In June 2010, soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh survived two bomb blasts in two days in Mastiff vehicles while on patrol in the Babaji district of central Helmand. | |
| After the attack platoon commander Lieutenant Mark Lewis said: "The first IED strike blew the Mastiff across the road. I was top cover at the time and blown out of the turret but stopped from landing in the nearby field by the cam net. Once the dust settled I could hear the lads in the cabin. I dropped down fearing the worst, not knowing what I would see next. Thankfully they were all OK, with only minor injuries and the next day we were all back out on patrol." | After the attack platoon commander Lieutenant Mark Lewis said: "The first IED strike blew the Mastiff across the road. I was top cover at the time and blown out of the turret but stopped from landing in the nearby field by the cam net. Once the dust settled I could hear the lads in the cabin. I dropped down fearing the worst, not knowing what I would see next. Thankfully they were all OK, with only minor injuries and the next day we were all back out on patrol." |
| "I was more than happy to go out again in the vehicle after the first explosion because I knew that it would keep me safe." | "I was more than happy to go out again in the vehicle after the first explosion because I knew that it would keep me safe." |
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