The Politics and DV Engineering working group analyses current political developments in the defence sector. It provides independent facts and interpretation from the technological knowledge and experience of engineers.
The Politics and DV Engineering Working Group has questions and comments on the replacement of tents and climate control (Parliamentary Paper 2020D44704). The comments have been prepared based on publicly available information and defence technology knowledge and experience.
The working group welcomes the Secretary of State's move to further bring the armed forces in order with the replacement of tents and climate control. For more than 40-year-old tents and heaters, this does not seem like an unnecessary luxury. The working group has only a few questions on this issue.
Page 1. Introduction
The letter indicates that 1925 tents including heaters will be acquired for a total price of €25 - 100 million. So between €13,000 and €52,000 per set . As no further special technical requirements are attributed to the tents and heaters in the letter, these are decent sums for relatively simple technology.
Question:
Is the observation correct that the 1925 st. tents plus heaters will cost between €13,000,- and €52,000,- per set? If so, is that appropriate for a relatively simple product?
Page 2 Needs and characteristics
This paragraph does not indicate how long these tents will remain in use. While current tents and heaters now last almost 40 years, a shorter replacement cycle for this type of system seems relevant. Since these are low-tech systems, buy-from-the-shelf (COTS) may then also be possible.
Question:
What is the projected useful life of these tents and heaters?
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The Hague, 17 November 2020
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Disclaimer: The facts and opinions given are based on open sources and on the knowledge and experience of working group members.
As part of the professional association KIVI, the working group is independent of political parties, governments and companies.
This is not an official position of KIVI. The association accepts no liability for anything put forward by the working group or its members.
Photo: Ministry of Defence
