A 'beast' of a new vehicle has arrived in the UK to prepare for its unleashing in Afghanistan's Green Zone to support British troops.

Warthog can wade through water and is powered by a 7.2 litre engine that produces 350 bhp - while carrying up to 12 troops and offering improved levels of protection. The highly agile, all-terrain vehicle will be able to climb steep gradients, cling to severe slopes, tackle vertical obstacles and cross wide trenches.

The MOD has bought more than 100 Warthog amphibious vehicles from Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK). The first was unveiled today at Thales UK's new vehicle integration facility, as the company will install UK-specific kit to the vehicles.

This will include additional armour, specialist electronic counter-measure equipment and communication tools before the vehicle is deployed to Afghanistan early next year.

Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said: "Warthog is an armoured beast of a vehicle that will carry troops to the heart of operations in the difficult terrain of Afghanistan's Green Zone. It can work in terrain where other vehicles find it difficult to operate in.

"Warthog will provide improved protection to our troops on the frontline and this marks a significant step forward in preparing this vehicle for our troops. I am delighted that Thales UK is able to contribute to that process here in the UK."

After the integration work the vehicles will undergo demanding trials to ensure Warthog is ready for the frontline.

Head of Combat Wheels Group at Defence Equipment and Support, Brigadier Ian Simpson, added: "Warthog has proven itself to be a very capable vehicle in its preliminary tests and trials. I am impressed by the high standards of engineering applied to this vehicle and the quality of the support package offered by Singapore Technologies Kinetics, which will give our troops with higher levels of protection and mobility.

"This vehicle has been manufactured and shipped to the UK for radios and armaments to be fitted and integrated into the vehicle. The vehicle will then have to be fully tested and certified as safe to use before being issued to troops for pre-deployment training. Once these tests have been completed the vehicle will be given to our troops”.