Why This 'Linked' British Vehicle Couples Two Trucks To Cross Afghan Minefields

The British Warthog was an articulated tracked vehicle that coupled two armoured cabs together with a hydraulic pivot to cross terrain no other vehicle in Helmand could survive. Built in Singapore, re-armoured in Wales, and crewed by Royal Armoured Corps tankers, the Warthog absorbed roughly 30 direct IED strikes across four years in Afghanistan without a single crew fatality inside the cab. This is the full story of how British forces turned a Singaporean jungle carrier into the most survivable troop transport of the Afghan war.
In 2008, British troops in Helmand Province were dying inside the BvS 10 Viking, an articulated tracked carrier originally designed for Arctic warfare in Norway. The Taliban's homemade bombs had outgrown the Viking's flat-bottomed hull, and the vehicle had reached the limit of how much armour it could carry. The casualties included Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the highest-ranking British officer killed in action since the Falklands, who died in a Viking on 1 July 2009. Within months, the Ministry of Defence signed a £150 million Urgent Operational Requirement contract with ST Kinetics of Singapore for 115 Warthog vehicles, a completely different design from a completely different country.
This video covers the full Warthog story, from the Viking's fatal IED vulnerability and the emergency procurement, through the technical engineering of the articulated steering joint that gave it a ground pressure of just 60 kilopascals, to the Thales UK armour integration at Llangennech in South Wales, the year-long acceptance delay, and the combat record across Operations Herrick 12 through 20. We examine how the Warthog compared to the Mastiff MRAP, American mine-resistant vehicles, and Russia's DT-30 Vityaz, and why the articulated twin-cab design could go where nothing else in the British inventory could reach.
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If you enjoyed this video, check out our other content covering British armoured vehicles, IED protection technology, and the vehicles of the Helmand campaign.
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TOPICS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO
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The Viking IED crisis in Helmand Province 2006–2009 and the casualties that forced a replacement
The emergency Urgent Operational Requirement procurement of 115 Warthog vehicles from ST Kinetics Singapore in December 2008
Full technical specifications of the Warthog including the Caterpillar C7 engine, Allison transmission, articulated steering joint, and 60 kPa ground pressure
How the hydraulic pivot and twin-cab articulated design works and why it outperformed conventional tracked and wheeled vehicles in Afghan terrain
The Thales UK armour integration programme at Llangennech including Bowman radios, ECM jammers, bar armour, blast seats, and the protected weapon station
Combat deployment history from Herrick 12 through Herrick 20 with the Royal Dragoon Guards, 2 RTR, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Queen's Royal Hussars, and King's Royal Hussars
The Warthog's survival record across approximately 30 IED strikes with zero crew killed in action inside the vehicle
Comparative analysis against the Viking BvS 10, Mastiff 6x6 MRAP, American MRAPs, and the Russian DT-30 Vityaz
The 2015 retirement, the failed Royal Artillery reuse plan, and the 25 Warthogs donated to Ukraine via Germany
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RESEARCH SOURCES
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UK Ministry of Defence operational press releases on Warthog deployment (GOV.UK)
The Tank Museum Bovington, Warthog collection entry
Army Technology technical profile, Warthog / Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier
UK Parliament Hansard, Written Answers on Warthog procurement (February 2009)
National Audit Office, "The cost-effective delivery of an armoured vehicle capability"
House of Commons Defence Committee, "Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army's armoured vehicle capability" (2021)
Queen's Royal Hussars Museum, Afghanistan 2008–2014 operational record
ST Engineering, Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier technical data
Defense Update, "From Bronco to Warthog" (December 2008)
UK Government fatality notices for personnel referenced in this video (GOV.UK)
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FURTHER READING
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"Dead Men Risen" by Toby Harnden, covering 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in Helmand and the death of Lt Col Thorneloe
"3 Commando Brigade" by Ewen Southby-Tailyour, on Royal Marines operations in Helmand
UK Land Power blog, "A Modern Tracked Alternative for Infantry Mobility"
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans charity, for accounts of Warthog IED survivors
BAE Systems Hägglunds BvS 10 / BV 410 programme updates for the Warthog's NATO successor
#Warthog #BritishArmy #Helmand #Afghanistan #ArticulatedVehicle #IED #Viking #RoyalMarines #MilitaryHistory #BritishMilitary

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