Future Rapid Effect System The Future Rapid Effect System ( FRES ) is the British MOD programme to deliver a fleet of more than 4 , 000 armoured fighting vehicle s for the British Army . The vehicles are to be rapidly deployable , network - enabled , capable of operating across the spectrum of operations , and protected against current threats . The total FRES fleet is expected to comprise five families of vehicles : Utility , Reconnaissance , Medium Armour , Manoeuvre Support and a family of simpler variants known as the ‘ Basic Capability Utility ’ . Despite long delays in the procurement process , exacerbated by a budget shortfall at the MoD , the FRES programme is moving ahead with the award of the Specialist Vehicle contract to General Dynamics for the ASCOD AFV tracked vehicle in March 2010 . History . Due to the complexity of the FRES programme , a " System of Systems " Integrator ( SOSI ) was appointed to assist the MoD in selection of the vehicles and cross - vehicle electronic architecture . In October 2007 the FRES SOSI contract was awarded to a joint team of Thales and Boeing . The SOSI team was contracted to act as an independent , honest broker between industry and the MoD to co - ordinate the procurement of more than 3 , 000 vehicles which were expected to be acquired under FRES . Six main elements of the SOSI role were : programme management ; systems of systems engineering and integration ; alliance development and management ; development of the MoD ' s SOSI competence ; through - life capability management ; and through - life technology management . The SOSI role was scrapped when the programme was restructured following the failure to progress with the UV procurement . Utility Vehicles . The first family of vehicles , known as the Utility Vehicles ( UV ) were expected to enter service in the 2010s . FRES UV was to replace the Army ' s Saxon wheeled APC , tracked FV432 , and some of the CVR ( T ) vehicle family . The design is planned to follow the philosophy of " medium weight " forces that balance ease of transportability ( " light " ) with armour ( " heavy " ) . UV Competition . In 1999 , Germany and United Kingdom began development of the Boxer Multi Role Armoured Vehicle , which was intended to assume different roles via switchable modules . However , the UK announced it would withdraw from the project in 2003 , stating that the Boxer did not fulfill requirements . The British Ministry of Defence decided to pursue a replacement , with a specification that it could be airlifted by Airbus A400M and smaller C - 130 Hercules transport aircraft . The new " Future Rapid Effect System " project was established on 5 May 2004 , with an assessment period of two years . Since then , the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has been researching electrically charged armour , with the view of ultimately integrating it into the FRES design . Plans for FRES vehicles to be carried by C - 130 have also been dropped for being unworkable . On 7 June 2007 , the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support , Lord Drayson , announced that three vehicles had been selected for trials to determine the utility vehicle design for FRES UV . These were : Response to criticism . In a defence briefing on 14 June 2007 , Lord Drayson made it clear that FRES UV would not be the standard off the shelf version of any of these vehicles : " " They are designs which are currently in development to provide new models within existing families of vehicles . I am sure you agree that it would make no sense to invent a new vehicle from scratch . The designs we will look at in the trials this summer take proven vehicles , and evolve them to the next level to have the capacity , mobility , ability to upgrade through life , and , above all , the level of protection the Army need . " " In FRES UV it was envisaged that a further role , that of the " vehicle integrator " , would be required to ensure that the vehicles are customised to meet British Army requirements and be supported and upgraded through life . A number of companies positioned for this role , including BAE Systems and General Dynamics , but when the programme was restructured this was no longer envisaged as a separate role . Final decisions . The announcement of the winning design was initially planned for November 2007 , but the selection was not announced until 8 May 2008 . The winning design provisionally selected for the FRES Utility Vehicle contract was the Piranha V , manufactured by General Dynamics . This decision had been expected , with speculation from February 2008 onwards that General Dynamics was the preferred contractor for the deal . However , as no production order was announced , various sources " feared that the FRES programme had fallen victim to the UK defence " budget crunch " . This was borne out in December 2008 , when General Dynamics ' status as preferred contractor for the Utility Vehicle contract was officially rescinded . After General Dynamics had its preferred bidder status withdrawn in December 2008 , the Ministry of Defence decided to restructure the programme . The utility vehicle programme was scheduled to restart towards the end of 2010 . The UK MoD ' s Defence Equipment and Support agency has focused its attention on the tracked variants of the FRES programme ; most notably the Specialist Vehicle . The FRES Integrated Project Team ( based at MoD Abbey Wood ) has disbanded . The UV element has been put on hold ; its future hangs in the balance of the Strategic Defence Review , scheduled for mid 2010 . The SV has been joined with the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme ( WCSP ) in a new procurement team named " Medium Armoured Tracks Team " ( MATT ) . The two programmes share the Common Cannon and Ammunition Programme , whereby a new 40mm Cannon from CTAI will be the main armament to both the upgraded Warriors and the new Specialist Vehicle . With the demise of the UV procurement , the supporting roles of SOSI and VI were no longer required , and were not pursued as part of the overall procurement scheme . In 2011 changes to the Army regarding the TA ( which meant deeper cuts in the regular forces ) has meant that there is extra money to go ahead with future defence programmes which were previously under threat from the cutbacks in armed forces spending . With these new savings the government has given its commitment to the programme . As of 2013 the program has continued to be delayed and the base vehicle is still overweight , however a prototype turret has been tested and further tests will include a turret mounted on an actual vehicle . Specialist Vehicles . The Specialist Vehicles programme will provide a range of vehicles including reconnaissance , engineering and battlefield medical variants , based on a tracked chassis . The CV90 , offered by BAE Systems , and ASCOD SV , offered by General Dynamics UK , were put forward as potential reconnaissance vehicles and were awarded assessment - phase contracts in November 2008 . In July 2009 the MoD invited BAE Systems and General Dynamics UK to help it develop new reconnaissance vehicles for the British Army as part of the FRES Scout Vehicles programme . On 22 March 2010 , the MoD announced that General Dynamics UK had been awarded a development contract to build the FRES SV . BAE Systems had fought to reverse the decision by announcing it would move manufacture from Sweden to its Newcastle factory . The £500M contract for the demonstration phase of 7 prototype vehicles was announced on 1 July 2010 . Trials are expected to start in 2013 .