The Army is transforming and modernising to meet the threat of modern warfare. Innovation and adaptation are at the heart of that transformation, but not all change involves new kit and equipment.
Last year, personnel from the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) at Bovington in Dorset travelled to visit the soldiers of the King’s Royal Hussars (KRH) deployed in Estonia. The Regiment’s tour, supporting the NATO mission in the Baltic states, was a constant round of exercises, demonstrations, and range practice designed to deter Russian aggression.
When asked what would make life more bearable, the soldiers of the KRH asked for a quicker and less tiring way of mounting the enormous Challenger 2. The inventive folk at Bovington designed a set of removable steps, made on a 3D printer, which could be built anywhere and attached temporarily in peacetime. This made the job of mounting the 72-tonne monster child’s play, saving time and money at almost no cost.
Necessity is after all, the mother of invention.