Declassification and release of FV430 manuals

[andym]

I've recently been talking to the MOD about the declassification and release of Mk2 and Mk2/1 FV430 technical manuals that are currently held by MOD in electronic (PDF) format. Some early ones are simply scans, but the later ones are truly electronic and therefore searchable - very useful for something like parts catalogues!

 

As anyone involved with MOD knows, it's pretty easy to classify a document but much harder to declassify one. After discussions with the Combat Tracks Group at Abbey Wood, the Disposal Sales Authority and other interested parties, someone in Main Building suggested that I tried a Freedom of Information Act request. I've just had the following response:

 

"Thank you for your email of 1 September 2010 which you sent to www.mod.uk. Your correspondence has been considered to be a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and I have been asked to reply.

 

Your request for information received by this Department read:

 

I would like to apply for the release of the parts catalogue for FV432 Armoured Personnel Carriers, AESP 2350-T-251-711 on the grounds that the vehicles are being disposed of by the DSA into private hands and the catalogue would be of value to the private owners. The catalogue is "owned" by the Combat Tracks Group at Abbey Wood and exists in electronic PDF format.

 

(Please note that this is a specimen request for release of all FV430 Mk 2 and Mk 2/1 documents in the AESP 2350 series)

 

This information is being withheld under S22 (Information intended for future publication). The Project team is intending to redact/de-classify all manuals in time for the vehicles disposal in April 2011, after which they will be published under the MOD publications scheme and will be available on the MOD website (www.mod.uk)."

 

This is extremely good news as it means that FV430 owners will have access to the full set of manuals for the vehicles. I'm assuming that the April 2011 date refers to the out-of-service date for the pre-Bulldog FV430s.

 

 

Andy

[JoelH]

Searchable PDF documents aren't limited to the 432.

 

Here: http://www.afvhandbooks.com/index.html

 

These contain searchable manuals for a large number of vehicles - at a cheaper price than buying printed manuals.

[andym]

Searchable PDF documents aren't limited to the 432.

 

No, certainly not. They're just the ones that interested me! :-D

 

Andy