Army

[Devilishdave]

I thought some of you might find this interesting.

 

Specially made air-conditioned kennels have been delivered to Iraq and Afghanistan to replace the existing basic but ageing accommodation currently used to house Military Working Dogs (MWD).

 

 

 

Corporal Charlie Bates with Brandy in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan [Picture: SAC Kimberley Waterson RAF]

It is hoped the new kennels will help the dogs to better cope with both the blistering summer heat in Iraq and the extreme cold in Afghanistan.

 

Under a contract worth £1.2million, the highly trained MWDs, which are used to protect bases and detect arms, ammunition and explosives, are being given 17 state-of-the-art accommodation units, complete with cooling and heating systems to control the temperature of their sleeping areas.

 

Although the dogs are extremely fit and acclimatised to the difficult conditions, the use of air conditioning means their kennels can be thermostatically controlled to maintain a steady temperature throughout each day of their tour:

 

 

"Returning to such kennels, often after demanding and protracted taskings, helps maintain the dog's condition," says WO2 Sean Jones.

 

 

The kennels are Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System (DROPS) compatible, 20ft (6m) ISO containers, that each house four Service dogs.

 

They convert into housing units through the assembly of panels, which provide internal sleeping areas, external kennel areas with integral water and electrical distribution. There is a small working area within the container for the MWD handlers to prepare food and complete basic admin. Storage is provided to accommodate some food supplies and basic kit for handling and maintaining the MWD and the accommodation.

 

There are also 33 transportation containers - basic aluminium boxes that provide adequate space, ventilation and water provision capabilities - one for each dog, which are collapsible to reduce storage and transport burden when not in use.

 

 

 

Specially made air-conditioned kennels (left) and a transportation container (right) [Picture: MOD]

User trials were completed along with a basic training package in September 2007. The system was also trialled on DROPS to ensure it could be moved in theatre safely and without damage to its component parts that are stowed internally during transport.

 

Battlefield Infrastructure Integrated Project Team Leader (BFI IPTL), Richard Holloway, said:

 

 

"It was particularly pleasing to support operations by delivering this somewhat unusual project on time and within budget."

 

 

The kennels, which have been engineered by G3 Systems Ltd, (a British company and subsidiary of IAP Worldwide Services Inc.) based in Portland, Dorset, replace "locally engineered" solutions that are not mobile and cannot be maintained satisfactorily.

 

Derek Ford, G3 Systems Project Manager said:

 

 

"This was an innovative project which presented a number of difficult technical challenges, made more so by the fact that this is a UOR [urgent operational requirement] with extremely tight timescales.

 

"As well as being a self-contained unit, with all equipment designed to fit inside the container, we also had to ensure that no hand tools were needed in the deployment and construction of the shelters.

 

"We are pleased that we met all the technical requirements of the customer within an extremely tight timescale."

 

 

British troops in all the main bases also enjoy high quality accommodation - which include air conditioned tents, hot and cold showers and flush lavatories as well as gymnasiums, cafes and private e-mail/telephone facilities.

[Cranfield]

About time.

 

Because of the amount of time and money spent on the training of these dogs and their reasonable short working life (5 years I believe), they are considered a major assett by the Services.

[dustyfox]

hehe good

 

As the iraqi's are scarred of dogs.

[triscrx]

Nice to think they are getting looked after. Just a strange fact for you whilst were on the subject.

 

A pig being transported gets more space that Royal Navy personnel at sea onboard ship. And an RAF dog gets a bigger food allowance than anyone in the forces for a days food. crazy little facts that make you think.