This morning’s IraqSlogger has a catch-up story about the MRAP program(s) that the troops are dying to get in Iraq.
Last month, Pentagon placed a $5.4 billion rush order for 3,900 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPs, pushing to get at least 3,500 into Iraq by the end of 2007.The MRAPs have a V-shaped reinforced hull designed to withstand the blast of IEDs and EFPs, the leading killer of US troops in Iraq. The Pentagon's MRAP program is "the fastest moving major program in the Defense Department," according to John Young, chairman of the Pentagon's MRAP task force.
The original MRAP, the Cougar, and its larger stablemate, the Buffalo, were designed by Ladson, SC-based Force Protection, Inc. A very small shop, it was initially turning out only a couple of vehicles each month. After its first DoD order, it has added more manufacturing space, and a much larger staff, and is capable of churning out about 100 vehicles per month right now. It plans to open two new factory spaces before the end of the year, which will double its capacity. The new factories will primary produce the Cheetah model, a lighter vehicle than its standard, the Cougar, and will be aimed at replacing the HumVee, to be used as recon, command & control and “urban operations.
Video presentations of all three Force Protection mdoels available here.
The heavy-armored vehicle demand is so high that Force Protection’s larger competitors have also drawn orders. BAE/Armor Holding’s RG-33 will definitely be added to the Pentagon’s list, solely because of its proven track record in South Africa.
BAE has also just introduced a new vehicle, the Caiman, a 14 ton personnel carrier.
General Dynamics has been tapped to produce 500 copies of its RG-31. A USMC unit is shown in this “after” photo of an IED exploding beneath the vehicle. The five Marines inside suffered two concussions and two light burns, according to HQ, USMC, and are well pleased with the vehicle.
Navistar/International Trucks has received several orders for its MaxxPro design, reportedly around 2,000 units in total.
The manufacturer claims the vehicle is manufactured with as many standard industry-wide parts as possible, to make repair and replacement easier. Additionally, the armored body is bolted together, rather than being welded. It is felt that using this method of assembly will again make repair and replacement at a lower level maintenance shop possible.
The unit cost of these babies, which was estimated at about $1 million per, will approach $3.4 million each, and in some cases exceed that figure. This is not all manufacturing cost, however. The Armchair Generalist explains why the ticket cost is so high:
Yes, the bucket seats, air conditioning, and radios weren't included in the original sticker price. Now, the surprise isn't just that the Army and Air Force are getting MRAPs at $2 million a pop (and why is the AF getting so many vehicles? Do they go off-base?) and the Marines are getting a larger one at nearly twice the cost (Marines have bigger... needs?). It's not that the SOCOM and Navy are getting what appears to be pork on top of an MRAP procurement to keep them happy. It's that we're going to fly these multi-ton vehicles into theater at a cost of nearly $750 million.The emergency funding request would allow the military to fly many of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to troops rather than send them by ship, which takes weeks. The flight takes 13 hours, allowing for same-day delivery, said Lt. Col. Ed Thomas, an Air Force spokesman.
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The military's Transportation Command estimates that it costs $135,000 to send an MRAP by plane compared with $18,000 by ship. An Air Force C-17 can carry as many as three MRAP vehicles.
These vehicles are high priority items now, for both military and political reasons. Air freight is a mandatory expense, and not just because the Pentagon might have appeared to dither in the decision to buy them. They’re needed - now.
It should also be noted that downstream maintenance costs are going to be higher than expected due to the huge parts availability needed for so many different types of vehicles. While there will inevitably be some standardization from one model to the next, you can be certain that a maintenance company won’t be able to put a Cougar fender on an RG-33 or MaxxPro. Additionally, a lot of the maintenance work to be done on these vehicles will be done by contractors rather than uniformed service personnel, and you know how that works, right?
However, for the HumVees that are still out there in Iraq, and still doing much of the everyday work, there is another temporary solution. Most HumVees in Iraq are the newer, armored version, the M-1151. AM General, the manufacturer, has devised a “Frag 6” armor kit that can be added in the field.
"It's a significant weight increase on the truck - about 1,000 pounds - and it adds about 12 inches each side of the truck of the entire width," said Larry Day, program executive with AM General Defense.The doors are so heavy, troops may need a mechanical assist device to open and close them and drivers will likely require built-in visual references so they'll know if they can fit the vehicle in narrow spaces.
The Army has not yet given AM General the order to produce the kit.
"We have not been given the go-ahead to put them into production or even finalize the design," Day said. "But it's our responsibility integrate them onto our doors, so it would be better for us to do it."AM General is planning to outfit about 3,000 M1151 Humvees with the Frag Kit 6 doors if the Army decides that's the way to go.
Articles on MRAPs:
Marine MRAPs Mired in Minutiae
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