UK: ELITE PARACHUTE REGIMENT TEST NEW QUAD BIKES

English/Nat It looks like fun - but for the British Army messing around in the mud is absolutely serious. The elite Parachute Regiment has been testing out a new four-wheel drive vehicle to see if it is suitable for military operations. And it looks as if quad bikes could turn out to be the pack horses for the twenty first century. New toys for the boys. Splashing around in the woods - the Paras are testing out the latest addition to their armoury. The mud of Salisbury Plain is known by every British soldier. Many military exercises have got bogged down on it, but now - perhaps - it has met its match. Smaller than the transports already in use - the quad bike is being considered as a vehicle for airborne troops. SOUNDBITE: (English) "It is particularly useful to us because we are very limited in terms of our 'lift-capacity' in aircraft. There is not very much room inside aircraft and we only have a finite number of aircraft, so the more efficiently we can carry vehicles inside them - the better. And in this case you have a small, compact vehicle that is capable of lifting very heavy weights of equipment and which is easily carried, very robust and rugged." SUPER CAPTION: Captain Andy Reeds, Parachute Regiment The manufacturers - Honda of Japan - are hoping the British Army will be just the first of many military forces to find a use for them. Each one costs around seven and a half thousand dollars - but the Paras believe that is good value. SOUNDBITE: (English) "A vehicle like this can be used - for example - to very quickly clear the drop zone - where we have been parachuting - of stores. It could also be used perhaps for carrying casualties back and taking rations or equipment forward. It gives us mobility. It speeds up the pace at which we can move on a potential battlefield or in a threatened zone. And it is basically a very effective vehicle, very light, very economical. SUPER CAPTION: Captain Andy Reeds, Parachute Regiment The British Army has built an entire European village in the middle of Salisbury Plain where its troops practice military manoeuvres. It was originally used to train soldiers going to Germany but recently units have prepared here before being sent to Bosnia. Firing blank ammunition the second battalion of the Parachute Regiment showed how they would storm a hostile house. And they showed off how their new equipment could be used in battle. With new ammunition brought from the supply base the troops are ready to fight on. Their job done, the quad bikes sped off - ready for their next mission. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1e13eef89da5f6121d922570af9d1122 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork