Introduced in December 2006, the Bulldog was designed to meet an urgent operational requirement for extra armoured vehicles for use in counter-insurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. It features an applique reactive armour package designed by Israeli company Rafael capable of defeating hollow charge warheads such as the RPG-7 rockets used by insurgents.[1] A new engine and steering gear provide better mobility and manoevrability. Other features include air conditioning and a gun station fitted with a 7.62mm machine-gun that can be controlled from inside the vehicle. Nine hundred FV430s are expected to be modified in this way and are being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside the new Mastiff PPV and Pinzgauer High Mobility All-Terrain Vehicle (Vector), relieving some of the pressure off of the Warrior fleet.

The modifications, as well as bringing the vehicle's level of protection up to that of the Warrior, will give it better cross country performance and a new top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h).

Modifications on the first 50 units were carried out in between January and October 2006 at the ABRO facility in Dorset by BAE Land Systems at a cost of £85 million.