Defence Minister Baroness Taylor was on hand recently to watch a batch of new quad bikes being put through their paces at the Defence School of Transport (DST).
The ATV (all terrain vehicles) quad bikes can reach speeds of up to 75kph and are primarily used to deliver food, water and ammunition to frontline troops in areas that are difficult to access or in areas where it is favourable to keep a low profile.
With a trailer attached, the vehicle can still operate through streams and puddles of up to half the wheel height.
During the visit Baroness Taylor also viewed a range of vehicles, which are being used for training tactics, techniques and procedures.
Baroness Taylor paid tribute to the DST as a world-class training facility.
“I have been impressed by the scale and variety of training that takes place here,” she said. “Alongside tactics and procedures, training is a vital part of Force Protection and the new quad bikes we have seen today will play an important role on operations, from logistics support to casualty evacuation.”
The DST is the largest driver training school in Europe and currently has 1,200 different vehicles, ranging from saloon cars and motorcycles, to military heavy goods trucks and up to the latest armoured troop vehicles, including the mighty Mastiff.
By Daniel Garrun
