The British Army has withdrawn its complete inventory of MAN support lorries from use after a major safety flaw was discovered.
Inspectors came across a series of defective bolts, rendering the vehicles incapable of delivering fuel and food to personnel.
The withdrawal of 6,000 vehicles forced commanders to abandon exercise Titan Storm on Salisbury Plain.
These lorries, capable of transporting loads ranging from six to 15 tonnes, serve as the military's primary logistics vehicles across virtually all British Army and Royal Marines units.
Several vehicles have been operational for almost 20 years.
But with the Army's supply chain capabilities effectively scuppered, the Defence Safety Authority has ordered an urgent inspection.
Exercise Titan Storm had run into trouble already when when soldiers operating £10million-valued Ajax armoured vehicles started vomiting and shaking uncontrollably due to excessive noise and vibration.
Military personnel found themselves stranded after the double calamity - leaving commanders no alternative but to terminate the operation.
The UK's supply lines have effectively been knocked out of action thanks to the MAN lorries' flaws
|MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
A source told The Times the fault involved bolts on the propeller shaft, the component that transmits engine power to the wheels.
Another source said: "The vehicles would have been used to move supplies around on the exercise. They need to be inspected across every location."
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said: "This is yet another example of how the army's sub-standard vehicle fleet is leaving our soldiers without serviceable and safe kit.
"Between the Ajax disaster and our 60-year-old 432 fleet, to find out our SV fleet is now grounded too for safety concerns illustrates how badly the army is in need of investment, not cuts."
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PICTURED: Members of the Welsh Guards prepare a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire
|PA
His words come amid concerns from senior defence chiefs about implementing the Strategic Defence Review's reforms.
One high-ranking military source said: "We don't have enough people, equipment, and that all comes down to money. Can the country afford everything in the SDR? No."
The source described the review as a "pipe dream".
Meanwhile, in the east, Russia is expanding its military budget and probing Nato's defences, ratcheting up concerns about potential conflict.
Russia is expanding its military budget and probing Nato's defences
| REUTERSDefence officials maintain the vehicles pose no operational risk, with safety measures remaining until all MAN lorries undergo inspection.
The fault affects UK-specific components rather than the German-manufactured vehicles, according to informed sources.
An MoD spokesman said: "The safety and wellbeing of our personnel is our utmost priority. A number of MAN military support vehicles have been affected by a minor mechanical fault, which is being quickly rectified. There are no wider underlying safety concerns with the vehicle."
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