OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2012. General Dynamics Land Systems has received an award for an additional 51 Foxhound vehicles from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for the British Army. General Dynamics Land Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The value of the award is approximately USD 73.6 million, or Ј46 million. The work will be performed in the United Kingdom by General Dynamics Land Systems – Force Protection Europe. This award takes the total fleet of Foxhound awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems-Force Protection Europe to 376 vehicles. The Foxhound provides vital mine and blast protection in a lighter-weight tactical 4x4 vehicle that has been designed for use in urban environments. The Foxhound was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2012 and is now being used by British troops operating in mentoring and partnering roles with the Afghan National Security Forces.

UK Defence Minister Philip Dunn announced the award during a visit to General Dynamics Land – Force Protection Europe’s spares facility in Telford where he met with employees and local supply chain partners. The minister offered his congratulations to the company and local supply chain, stating that:
"I was pleased to meet with employees at General Dynamics – Force Protection who have helped make Foxhound a real procurement success story, taking only 40 months to develop it from the initial design to deployment in Afghanistan. The work being done by staff here in Telford is ensuring the vehicles can stay on the road and helping our soldiers do the vital job of engaging with Afghan forces and protecting the local population. Balancing the MOD's budget means we can now confidently invest in equipment like Foxhound, which has the flexibility and adaptability to operate in a wide variety of environments, providing capability for the Army well into the future. This investment shows the MOD playing its part in delivering growth and sustaining jobs in the West Midlands industrial base."

David Hind, managing director of General Dynamics Land Systems – Force Protection Europe, stated that:
“We are delighted that the MoD has placed an order with us for a further 51 Foxhound vehicles. It is a great credit to our suppliers and the Ministry Project Team that we have managed to develop and introduce into service this world-beating vehicle in a little over 2 years from contract award.  Foxhound provides unprecedented levels of mine and blast protection for a vehicle in its weight class and with its modular design is a revolutionary capability that will be a key capability for the British Army in the future. The order will sustain a considerable number of jobs in the UK, many with vital small to medium enterprises who have brought real innovation to the programme. We are very grateful to the Minister and the British Army for their continued support for this crucial programme.”