Snatch Land Rover

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colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | Land Rover Snatch
colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | 300px Land Rover Snatch conversion used by British Army on Operation Telic, Iraq
Place of origin	United Kingdom
colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | Production history
Number built	approx 1000
Variants	Snatch-1.5 Snatch-2 12v, LHD Snatch-2A 24v, RHD Snatch-2B 24v, RHD
colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | Specifications
Weight	3,050 kilograms (6,700 lb)
Length	4.55 metres (Template:Convert/And0)
Width	1.79 metres (Template:Convert/And0)
Height	2.03 metres (Template:Convert/And0)
Primary armament	none - personal weapons carried by "top cover"
Engine	Land Rover 300 Tdi engine 111 horsepower (83 kW)
Power/weight	37 hp/tonne
Suspension	Wheel 4×4
Operational range	510 kilometres (320 mi)
Speed	160 kilometres per hour (99 mph)

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Template:Military navigation

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The Snatch Land Rover is a protected patrol vehicle, based around the Land Rover Defender 110 chassis, intended for general patrolling in low-threat areas and formally described as the Truck Utility Medium (TUM) with Vehicle Protection Kit (VPK). The vehicle was developed for use in the Northern Ireland area of operations in 1992, for use in rural patrolling and providing some degree of small arms protection for occupants and a limited level of protection from Improvised Explosive Devices and off-route mines.

The Snatch is one of a range of vehicles which remains in use in Northern Ireland as well as the Iraq and Afghanistan operational areas.

Use of the vehicle has been the subject of criticism as a consequence of a number of kinetic attacks which have exceeded the level of protection available, leading to occupant deaths.

Overview

The Snatch is based on the Land Rover Heavy Duty Chassis, a militarised version of the Defender 110 (similar to the Land Rover Wolf). It was originally procured for use in Northern Ireland by the British Army. and was first introduced in 1992.

Officially designated, Truck Utility Medium (TUM) with Vehicle Protection Kit (VPK), the vehicle is more widely known by its informal title, the "Snatch", even in official documentation. It is believed to have acquired the name from its use in the Troubles, when it was the preferred vehicle for "snatch squads" used in raids to capture suspects.

The "Snatch" was the first factory modified Land Rover to be used in Northern Ireland, replacing a series of ad hoc conversions including a protected Airportable Land Rover (Land Rover 1/2 ton Lightweight), known as the "piglet", being a smaller version of the Humber "Pig" APC then widely used by British Forces in Northern Ireland .

Manufactured as the CAMAC CAV 100 by NP Aerospace, the "Snatch" conversion was developed with the aid of Ricardo, and is fitted with CAMAC composite armour to offer the crew protection against kinetic energy projectiles and, to a very limited degree, against explosive devices. Its rated "combat weight" (without crew and weapons) is 3,050 kg .

Five versions have been produced, the first being the original Snatch-1, equipped with a V8 petrol engine. Nearly 1000 were produced, with 278 being "desertised" and reclassified as the Snatch-1.5. Many are now being (or have been) upgraded to current variant standard, either the Snatch-2 12v, LHD, the basic training variant; the Snatch-2A 24v, RHD, "Rest of World variant"; or the Snatch-2B 24v, RHD - the N. Ireland variant. These later versions have been retro-fitted with diesel engines and the 2A is also fitted with air conditioning.

When deployed, the vehicles are often fitted with electronic counter-measures (ECM) suites, which are designed to prevent certain types of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) being triggered, and Bowman radios.

Criticism of vehicle use

Use of the vehicle has been the subject of criticism by the media, politicians and the families of some casualities in both areas of operations. This criticism was visible in the public domain from around 2005 with media claims that civil servants of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development should not use the vehicles.

Later concerns were raised in Parliament, presenting comparison with the United States Marine corps deployment of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Cougar, which appeared to have provided more protection. The conservative peer Lord Astor of Hever raising the comparison and inviting comment. In response the Minister for Defence Procurement, Lord Drayson, acknowledged that the Snatch was inappropriate but identified that trade-offs around protection and mobility were required, as well as highlighting previous maintainability issues with an earlier version of the Cougar. Similar issues were then reported in a Sunday Telegraph opinion piece and other news outlets. These also recognised the need for trade-off decisions to be made around posture and mobility.

Media reporting continued to escalate the topic whilst parliamentary dialogue continued.

Procurement of additional vehicles

The MoD is currently procuring a number of vehicles with increased levels of protection, although reduced mobility, to supplement the vehicle fleets in Afghanistan and Iraq. Existing orders for the Pinzgauer Vector and the Bulldog, based on the FV432, were increased. New vehicles, the Mastiff (4*4) and Ridgback (6*6), based on the Cougar, which is produced by the US firm Force Protection Inc, are under procurement. Some of these vehicles have been delivered and deployed to theatre.