Potential of FRES arouses interest at DSEi

At an event more newsworthy for the antics of determined protesters than for contracts of magnitude or global significance, the buzzword (or acronym) at DSEI this week has been FRES. The efforts of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to bring its Future Rapid Effect System programme into sharper focus has been the subject of much interest and a number of big players on both sides of the Atlantic are circling.

The speculation at DSEI is that next week the MoD will release its strategy as to how to make the system of integrated vehicles an affordable reality. None too soon either as the first and most basic capability group of platforms is scheduled to enter service in 2009. Since this programme is a cornerstone of British land force capability for the foreseeable future, the challenge for the UK is to balance timeframe against cost and the maturity of technologies in order to avoid overruns in the long-term,.

FRES could lead to the procurement of as many as 2,000 vehicles over a service period that could extend to as much as half a century. The vehicles will replace the current fleet of CVR(T), FV40 and Saxon platforms with commonality being the watchword. The FRES procurement is likely to take the form of three tranches increasing in technological complexity.

Alvis Vickers, which has been working with the MoD for the last twelve months in an effort to outline the best way of proceeding, has teamed with BAE SYSTEMS to compete for the leadership of the programme, and, since the team also includes Alvis Hagglunds and General Dynamics UK, would appear to be in the box seat. With BAE having recently acquired a 29% stake in Alvis, the sure need of the UK Government for much of the production work to be undertaken in Britain would be satisfied.

Alvis Vickers Project Manager, Peter Thompson says "...getting the mix of platform and system right will be an integral concern". He also points to supportability throughout the system life as being a crucial aspect of the project. Thompson gave Alvis' success in integrating system upgrades to the Challenger 2 battletank as proof of his company's experience in what will be an important aspect in retaining the affordability required for manageable defence spending.

However, FRES is likely to be far from a monopoly for UK firms. Thales are bound to seek a sizeable chunk of what will be a lucrative pie, particularly in light of its growing involvement in the UK and recent contract successes with the MoD, most notably forcing BAE SYSTEMS to share the CVF contract. Lord Bach, the minister for defence procurement, took pains to praise Denis Ranque, Thales' CEO, for his work toward improving global partnership in his address to a DSEi conference earlier this week.

It can be no surprise that Rheinmetall is also casting glances on the fluid FRES situation. With the current minimal defence budget in Germany, FRES must seem an enticing programme. Based around designs such as the AFV Puma, the German manufacturer is emphasising that it has the capability to provide the type of rapidly deployable, medium-weight vehicles that the UK MoD is seeking.

Naturally, given the development of the similar but much larger FCS programme in the US, American companies have not been slow on the uptake either and Boeing, prime contractor along with SAIC on FCS, General Dynamics, Raytheon and United Defense are all gearing up to compete for the assessment phase of FRES. The MoD, which has already tried a joint land programme with the US (TRACER/FSCS) that failed only because of a change in emphasis by the US Army, and which is firmly tied to the JSF programme as a Level 1 partner, may look across the Atlantic to take advantage of the economies of scale that come with the development budget available in the US.

Choosing the right contractor for FRES will be a massive challenge for the UK MoD as it tries to choose the right system at the right price in order to create the kind of rapid networked force crucial to success in the battlespace of the future, while fighting off the Treasury as it seeks to meet the Labour Government's increased promises on social spending.

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