The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been given two years to upgrade its logistics systems to improve tracking of supplies by MPs furious over delays providing vital kit to troops in Afghanistan.

A Commons Public Accounts Committee report complains the army is still having to rely on manual systems despite reports urging improvements.

The committee said the MoD has "failed to meet consistently its own supply chain targets" although the time that units are having to wait for demands to be met has been reduced.

The report said inadequate logistics information prevents the department identifying stocks that could be routinely delivered to theatre by surface transport, placing more pressure on the air-bridge.

The MPs said the MoD's "key priority" is to improve the visibility of stocks in theatre and supplies in transit.

"Although progress has been made in the past few years, the department still has not achieved a total visibility system, for the tracking of assets deployed on operations. Nor does it yet have an integrated inventory management system," they said.

The MPs said the MoD "should, within the next two years, address the deficiencies in its logistics information systems, so that the stock is available at any location in theatre or elsewhere in the department's inventory, and to fully track items as they move through the supply chain."

Committee chairman Edward Leigh said there are important areas where the supply process "is creaking" .

"The process of getting equipment and supplies out to our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan is undeniably an extremely demanding one. But the fact that the MoD continues to fail to meet its own supply chain targets is of concern,” he said.

"The department must improve its logistic information systems so that it always knows where stocks are and can fully track through the supply chain their movement to our troops."

MPs have been pressing the MoD to improve logistics systems since 1984. Its Total Asset Visibility system, introduced since Operation Telic (the Iraq operation) in 2003 does not have in-theatre asset tracking or inventory management, leaving the army to rely on manual systems.