9:39am Friday 9th May 2008
By Gazette Reporter
A WILTSHIRE soldier is teaching troops how to handle the Army's toughest vehicle.
Sergeant Richard Cain, who serves with the 1st Battalion The Queen's Dragoon Guards, is an instructor on the Mastiff armoured patrol vehicle at the Defence School of Transport, based in Leconfield, East Yorkshire.
Sgt Cain, 35, from Pewsey, is married with four children, has been in the Army for 15 years, and has served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia.
He has also completed two tours of duty in Iraq.
"The Mastiff is a brilliant piece of kit, it's probably the best vehicle of its kind in the British Army," he said.
"For crew comfort and overall safety, nothing compares with it.
"I'm here to instruct anyone who needs Mastiff training who is due to deploy as part of 3 Commando to Afghanistan later this year."
Mastiff is the UK variant of the American Cougar - a six-wheeled mine-protected vehicle, which has had about 50 modifications built into it by NP Aerospace in Coventry.
The vehicle, which has already proved its worth on operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan, weighs in at 23 tons.
It has an indirect vision system, which means it can be driven at night without using lights.
Cameras at the front, back and sides of the vehicle have infra-red facility and the driver uses a small TV screen to see where he is going.
Sgt Cain said: "Mastiff is already saving a lot of lives. While it's primarily a troop carrier, it's being used in a variety of roles.
"The reaction I'm getting from students to it is incredible. They love it for its weight and size and the fact it can go pretty much anywhere."
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