FRES!
Now there is a classic example of MOD navel gazing, gold plating and brainfarting a project into touch.
What they want is a Piranha LAV, not too expensive, proven design, does the job, available off the shelf, battle proven, the only people who will actually fight alongside us, the Yanks, Canucks and Ozzies use loads of them and it fits in a Herc.
So do we ring up MOWAG and buy a licence and build them? Nope, we spend a gazzilion on R&D, committees, drive offs and all so we can be seen to be doing some 'competitive tendering' bollox and letting people who wouldn't buy our kit if we were to offer them blow jobs for life bid to flog us their crap kit.
NEXTER, Frog piece of shit built by Renault and we know how shiite their cars are, BOXER, typically Kraut, über designed, über large and über expensive.
SO we'll spend years arseing around looking at all the options knowing full well we want the Pirahna but have to be seen to be playing fair with the Euro Johhnies.