One of the requirements of the new vehicle was a top speed able to keep up with the projected new MBT, the MBT-80 – later cancelled and replaced by what became the Challenger 1 – which the FV432 armoured personnel carrier could not.

The project was begun in 1972; GKN Defence won the production contract in 1984 and the Warrior was accepted for service with the British Army in November 1984.

In particular, there are no firing ports in the hull, in line with British thinking that the role of the armoured personnel carrier/infantry fighting vehicle (APC/IFV) is to carry troops under protection to the objective and then give firepower support when they have disembarked.

The absence of firing ports also allows appliqué armour to be fitted to the sides of the vehicle, which is invariably applied to Warriors on operations.

Passenger access is through an electric ram powered door at the rear of the hull, rather than a drop-down ramp as in the US M113 APC and M2 Bradley IFV.

These have since been replaced with Thales Optronics Battle Group Thermal Imaging (BGTI) sights to upgrade night fighting capabilities, with 8× magnification.

Two Warriors were destroyed during the First Gulf War, with nine soldiers killed, in a friendly fire incident when hit by AGM-65 Maverick missiles launched in error by two American Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft.

[12] Upgrades already fitted to Warriors in British Army service included the Bowman Communications System and Thales Battle Group Thermal Imaging (BGTI) night sights.

The remainder, which would have been designated as Armoured Battlefield Support Vehicles (ABSV), would have lacked turrets and carry out field repair and recovery roles using a winch and crane attachments.

[27] In June 2020 the House of Commons Defence Select Committee described the project as running over three years late and £227 million over budget.

[31][32] Following the cancellation of the CSP Leicestershire-based Digital Concepts Engineering has proposed a system to stabilise the Warrior’s 30mm Rarden cannon, allowing the vehicle to fire on the move.