Why are they selling the army fleet?

I understood the British forces view was that the cost of shipping them back from countries such as Afghan was prohibitive, mainly because its land locked and moving them overland to a port to bring em back totals a good percentage of the replacement cost.

The Wolf fleet over here is approaching 20 years old, whilst the earlier stuff (2.5 diesel 90's and 110's etc) is being sold off in earnest whilst the Wolfs are creeping onto the market, they're supposed to be in use for another ten years to boot.

Slightly unrelated but a good illustration of outdated equipment; The Snatch armoured Defenders have caught a lot of flack due to the number of guys killed in them.
The one thing the news agencies kept missing out on was the fact that the original ones were designed to operate on the streets of Northern Ireland and be effective against small arms and whatever improvised explosives they used at the time.

Personal opinion on that one was that they stood up pretty well to the conditions in the deserts, especially as they were up against totally different threats.
Military equipment in the modern world needs to move quickly to keep up, just look at radio equipment...

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Originally Posted by Summiitt

I can understand and fully support frontline upgrades...i can't see the value in local base, day to day replacement units.... How many Mack trucks have seen active service in the last ten yes..?

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The reality is that since Vietnam very few of our military vehicles have actually seen active service, the SIII model only went to a couple of UN white missions and things like the leopard and abrams tanks none have seen active service.

The R series Macks currently being sold are mostly already 30 years old and the model out of production for the last 8 years, very few commercial operators operate equipment that old. Parts go out of production and become unavailable.

In regards to bringing out the vehicles from Afghanistan. ISAF has an agreement with the Afghan Government that none of the vehicles will be left littering the countryside like the Soviets did when they left. It seems that the US is bringing them out as metal scrap reducing the volume needing to be transported.

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Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

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The R series Macks currently being sold are mostly already 30 years old and the model out of production for the last 8 years, very few commercial operators operate equipment that old. Parts go out of production and become unavailable.

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Well said, Diana. When I was marketing heavy duty line haul and road train prime movers, most new truck buyers bought on 3-4 year lease. They usually had 500,000+ kilos on them at trade-in time. New truck dealers would spruce up one owner trucks and peddle them through their own yards as "one owner, good condition" to the next level of operator. Two, three and four owner vehicles commonly went to auction and then to the rougher class of operator progressively, the "bent axle Bobs" of the industry. We, the peddlers of new machines, thought 5 year vehicles were old heaps of ****. Something 30 years old would be the subject of cruel jokes. "Old so and so is still running those old piles of pus." "God, how does he keep them running". Some makes do not provide parts past 9-15 years. "Obsolete, mate, can't help you, Know any wreckers."

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Originally Posted by Summiitt

Given the amount of debt Australia is in,...

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I think you have been listening to propaganda.
Australian debt is among the lowest in the world
File:Dette publique2011.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...13/08/1178.jpg

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Originally Posted by isuzurover

I think you have been listening to propaganda.
Australian debt is among the lowest in the world
File:Dette publique2011.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...13/08/1178.jpg

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Cute graph, as a business owner and an employer to people, I won't comment and don't want to make this a political post.
I've got no real issues with the auction process as I will benefit from this auction if I can get myself a couple of macks for the right price... They are a lot of truck for the money, but you need a use gor them..as I do.

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Originally Posted by Summiitt

I can understand and fully support frontline upgrades...i can't see the value in local base, day to day replacement units.... How many Mack trucks have seen active service in the last ten yes..?

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You turn over your vehicles on a regular basis, based on your business considerations. I am sure they are not wrecks and are most likely good for someone else.

The Army is no different.

Garry

Those Macks were obsolete when they were bought. Very old hat thirty years down the track.

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Originally Posted by Summiitt

Cute graph,....

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I am not sure what is "cute" about it, and it is certainly not a graph.

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graph
/graf/
Noun

A diagram showing the relation between typically two variable quantities, each measured along one of a pair of axes at right angles.

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Feel free to post any evidence you have if you can show it is incorrect.

I'm not sure how owning a business or employing people is relevant to the current discussion. I employ people too - not that it is relevant.

I would suggest that the reason the Land Rovers are being sold, is that they are now "old", and the reason (sadly) why they are not being replaced with Land Rovers, is because there are more suitable vehicles available.
Cheers, Pickles.