Iraqi tragedy exposed weak spot in design

The Warrior armoured vehicles entered service in 1988 and “have proved a resounding success for armoured infantry battlegroups”, according to the Ministry of Defence website.

A £1 billion upgrade was announced at the end of last year after concerns were raised about their safety.

Under the improvement scheme, hundreds of the vehicles were to be customised with a new armour mounting system to allow them to be fitted with different types of armour, the MoD announced.

The Prime Minister and Defence Secretary made the announcement last October, revealing plans to fit the Warriors with an improved turret and new, stabilised 40mm cannon, which could fire more accurately on the move.

It came after fears about the safety of the Warrior were raised when one was involved in an incident in Iraq in April 2007 in which four soldiers were killed when a bomb ripped through the unprotected underside of their vehicle. The upgrade is intended to extend the service life of the vehicles through to 2040 and beyond.