UK awards FRES design deal to General Dynamics

LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - U.S. defence contractor General Dynamics Corp's (GD.N) Piranha 5 is the preferred design for the British army's next generation of medium-weight armoured vehicles (FRES), the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

"FRES is a long term programme to be delivered in stages to meet the Army's needs over the next 30 years," Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Ann Taylor, said in a statement.

The FRES (future rapid effects system) programme, set to be one of Britain's most expensive defence programmes, is due to introduce up to 3,000 vehicles beginning in 2012 and has been costed at up to 60 billion pounds ($117 billion) over its life.

FRES plans call for four vehicle types in 21 variants for tasks ranging from reconnaissance to road clearing. (Reporting by Dan Lalor)