Armor: July 31, 2002

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Britain is planning an upgrade for its 786 Warrior armored fighting vehicles. About 330 of these will become surplus as the 3rd Division is converted into a Medium Force, but those will be rebuilt as Armored Battlefield Support Vehicles with different weapons. Those Warriors being rebuilt as improved IFVs will get a new 40mm cased telescoped gun. This has cylindrical ammunition with the projectile buried inside the cartridge case; this allows for simpler loading. The cartridge's primer charge sends the projectile into the barrel before the main charge detonates. The cannon is stabilized, allowing the vehicle to fire when moving, something Warrior cannot do with its 30mm Rarden cannon. Also to be included are a new thermal imaging fire control system and the new Bowman communications system. An auxiliary power unit will be added to handle the increased demand for electric power.--Stephen V Cole