BRUSSELS — It looks like the Belgian army's latest tank upgrade forgot to take into account that people would need to fit inside them. <br /> <br />According to the BBC, drivers or gunners of the new and maybe not-so-improved Pandur must be shorter than 5'7'' to fit in the armored vehicle. <br />This is great because Belgium is one of the tallest countries in the world. <br /> <br />The upgrade program for the Pandurs has a budget of $34 million, but all is well since the Belgium Ministry of Defense says it only spent $1.9 million of it so far. <br /> <br />Citing Belgium's broadcaster VRT, the BBC reports that Belgium bought the Pandurs from Austria in 1966. <br /> <br />Belgium has been trying to modernize the aging Pandurs for military operations, including a planned deployment to Mali in 2021. <br /> <br />The Brussels Times reports the upgrades included extra armor, air conditioning and raised floors to protect troops from IEDs. <br /> <br />The upgrades might have made the Pandur safer, but apparently, you have to be Tom Cruise size to actually drive them. <br /> <br />Citing VRT, the BBC says the upgrades make steering and braking a "nuisance, and that the tall floor makes it hard to get in or out of the Pandur." <br /> <br />That is a very bad thing for when your ride is on fire. <br /> <br />According to BBC, Admiral Yves Dupont told the local press that the upgrades weren't finished. <br /> <br />He also said it's not unusual for armor crew to be restricted to being 5'7" tall, which is technically true if you are in a Russian antique. <br /> <br />However, Belgium's MP Wouter de Vriendt isn't buying any of this and tweeted that the Pandur upgrade was a "fiasco" and that the Pandur "could not be used." <br /> <br />In the meantime...Belgium is now looking for a few good men—short ones though.
