by newer vehicles. The Canadian Army also used the Scorpion turret, which they mounted on the AVGP Cougar. A total of 195 Cougars were originally procured, but the fleet was reduced to 100 vehicles in 1999 and are no longer employed. Enhancements and future developments As a result of combat experience in Afghanistan, the British Army upgraded several Scimitar light tanks to Mark 2 standard. The improvements included a new aluminium hull based on that of the Spartan troop carrier, which provides greater internal volume and protection, and a new fuel system, environmental control system and suspension. New hulls have also been built for the Spartan, Sultan, Samson and Samaritan variants. The British firm OVIK has designed a vehicle named "Meerkat" based on the CVR(T), anticipating that large numbers of these will become available for refurbishment in future years when they are replaced in British service, and perhaps several other armed forces. The hull has been redesigned, and the driver has been moved back into a central position – sitting side by side with his primary crewman. The vehicle is steered using a conventional steering wheel system – which can be swapped from left to right – to allow either crewman to drive or command the vehicle. The engine has been replaced by a Cummins 6.7-litre diesel engine whilst the transmission has been uprated to DB TN15E+ and STORMER final drives. The turret has been replaced by a modular weapon "cassette" that will mount remote weapon stations, armed with, for example, a .50" M2 HB machine gun. Another British consortium claims to have designed and developed a concept that uses a common tracked chassis with interchangeable pods for different vehicle roles. The Mark 1 mPODt (multi-role POD (tracked)) uses the Stallion, a flat bed development similar to that used on Shielder, to demonstrate the concept on a 10–13 tonne weight vehicle. However, the chassis could be from a number of in-service vehicles. See also Future Rapid Effect System, the project for its replacement Ajax, the selected replacement vehicle Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled), a sister project of light wheeled vehicles Future Combat Systems manned ground vehicles, a cancelled family of American tracked vehicles BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program, a future family of American vehicles Stryker, a recent American family of wheeled vehicles Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, a future American family of light wheeled vehicles Notes References Armoured fighting vehicles of the