New British 24-hour ration pack

[donaldjcheek]

Looks like the Brits are revamping the "Ration Pack, GP."

A batch of the new, 24-hour, multi-climate ration packs have been sent to Afghanistan for troop trials. They differ significantly from the old 24-hour ration packs. For starters, the number of menus has been increased from 7 to 20. Secondly, age-old items (some of which date back to the late 1940s) have been replaced with more modern foods. Thirdly, the number of "ethnic" entrees has been increased, and the ration also incorporates six new offerings for the Halal, Vegetarian and Sikh/Hindu ranges.

Relying on troop questionnaires and feedback from deployed soldiers, the new ration pack contains about one-third of "old favorites" from previous rations. Now included are things like Thai chicken curry, sweet salmon pasta, mixed bean salad, paella, beef and casava. Biscuits brown and fruit are gone, replaced by Oreo cookies, Shrewsbury biscuits and stem ginger biscuits.

Also reduced is the time-honored "brew kit." Lt Cdr Neil Horwood, chief of the development team, said, "We've halved the number of hot drinks, as one of the big things that came out of the questionnaires was the guys are throwing away most of their tea- and coffee-making facilities because the young soldiers don't drink it now."

One big item now included is very familiar to Americans: tiny glass bottles of Tabasco sauce.

For more information, go here: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Defen ... Troops.htm

[Stef]

Hi,
no more biscuit Brown? That's sad (for me at least) : I loved them !
I see a Union Jack flag on the box, the target has disapeared too, well I guess the boys there have enough occasions to practise shooting, they don't need cardboard targets

[Garron]

I should check the MOD website more often! I live in the UK and missed that!

Lets hope one or two get leaked onto ebay.co.uk, we have to get a proper review done.

It doesnt mention the oatmeal block specifically, I hope they keep that, though thats one of the items thats been in since the 40's (My grandfather used to bring them home for my mother in the late 50's and early 60's... they have not changed).

Stef you better stock up now then, though the GP packs will be around for quite a while as they are only just testing them.

Gaz

[Stef]

Thanks for the advice Gaz, I think I could stock some oatmeal blocks as well!

I fact my favourite ration items were those of the WWII (...WWI?) period : corned-beef, oatmeal, brown buiscuits

[Bypah]

Thanks for the advice Gaz, I think I could stock some oatmeal blocks as well!

I fact my favourite ration items were those of the WWII (...WWI?) period : corned-beef, oatmeal, brown buiscuits

If I'm not mistaken they were used in both wars...
I would like to get my hands in some of those oatmeal blocks...
Peace!

[SaTrinxa]

I would like to get my hands in some of those oatmeal blocks...
Peace!

I'l have a look in my stores Bypah - might have one or 2 kicking around, don't mind risking the post to the US.

[Treesuit]

Looking at the review I'm glad the MOD increased the menu's on their rations. 7 menus I'm sure got old real fast....but I also noticed that the items in a ration box are getting kind skimpy.....or is that a optical illusion?

Another thing is why didn't the MOD put in drink mixes in place of hot drink items. I'm sure if the MOD is sending these to the A-stan for the troops, why not put in drink mixes to improve the taste of the water especially during the hot weather? I can understand coffee and tea during the cold months but during the summer months your comsuming more water. Improving the taste would be a better idea.

[German_EPA]

dont worry - bakery produkts are allowed to send to the USA - customs wont make any trouble (as i can read on my "allowed" list for importing by parcel)

I would like to get my hands in some of those oatmeal blocks...
Peace!

I'l have a look in my stores Bypah - might have one or 2 kicking around, don't mind risking the post to the US.

[German_EPA]

wow cool! the bringthe mini-tabasco into a euro ration! thats gooood

when we can expect to see the first of the "new" rations?

[Baldy]

I see a Union Jack flag on the box, the target has disapeared too, well I guess the boys there have enough occasions to practise shooting, they don't need cardboard targets

It's a fairly common misconception that the concentric circles printed on British ration boxes are targets, and I'm not saying they've never been used as that. But they are, in fact, intended to be torn off and used as blank 'range cards'. A range card is filled out for a fighting position to facilitate fire control orders - it shows prominent features and their distance & bearing (azimuth) from the position. In Australia we used green plastic ones which we drew on with chinagraph (grease) pencils or Lumicolor pens.

See: http://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ ... 65appe.pdf, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... 4/Appe.htm, or http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/vie ... 66761.html