DTN News: MRAP As Mothership

DTN News: MRAP As Mothership *Source: DTN News / Defense News (NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - October 4, 2009: Some 12 ton Cougar 6x6 MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) have been modified and used successfully as RVSs (Reconnaissance Vehicle Systems). These are used for combat reconnaissance (along a road that might have roadside bombs) as well as route clearance (getting rid of the roadside bombs).BAE has worked hard to catch up, even as the number of MRAPs in the program more than doubled to over 15,000. The final tally gave them a wide 2nd place lead over 3rd place firm Force Protection. It also made them one of just 2 firms with a foothold under new MRAP-II qualifications, which includes protection against EFP (explosively-formed projectile) land mines that fire the equivalent of a cannon shell at the vehicle, in addition to the standard under-body blasts. As of December 2007, more than 2,000 BAE Systems employees in the United States and 400 in South Africa (BAE OMC, producing General Dynamics’ entry) are producing vehicles with the support of suppliers in more than 30 states across the United States. Key production locations include York, PA; Fairfield, OH; Aiken, SC, and Sealy, TX, with production assistance from partners Spartan Motors Chassis and Demmer Corporation. Of the envisaged 15,771 vehicles in the MRAP-I program as of March 31/08, all have now been ordered. Orders continue to be placed under the original MRAP vehicle solicitation until production verification of vehicles presented for testing in response to the MRAP II solicitation is completed, or an interim buy is approved. Thus far, BAE has directly received MRAP contract orders to date for 5,120 vehicles: *369 RG-33 MRAP CAT-I and SOCOM variants *1,710 RG-33L (MRAP CAT-II w. optional robotic arm) *179 RG-33L MEDEVAC Ambulance variant *2,178 BAE-TVS Caimans, CAT-I seating internally *684 BAE-TVS Caimans, CAT-II seating internally Based on these orders, BAE remains 2nd place in the MRAP CAT-I/II race, with 32.4% of all orders to date. This is a major improvement from its position earlier in the competition, and its own high-end RG-33 vehicles now own a respectable 14.3% share. The leader is still Navistar with 38.3%, a lead that widened recently when its lighter “MaxxPro Dash” was selected by the US Army in a recent order for the Afghan theater. One-time leader Force Protection has slipped to a distant 3rd place at 19.5% and is unlikely to receive further MRAP orders. To that end, the RVS is equipped with a remotely controlled (from inside the RVS) 12.7mm machine-gun turret, blue force tracker (to see where all other friendly vehicles are) and several external vidcams. The most interesting feature is a robot deployment and recovery system. The robot has its own armored compartment, and it can exit the RVS, check out a suspected roadside bomb, and return to the RVS, all without exposing any of the human crew to enemy fire. Basically, RVS is a 12 ton truck that is hardened to survive bombs and mines. The Cougar can get troops into combat situations where mines, explosives or any kind of obstacle, have to be cleared, or just survived. The RVS was designed to carry 16 troops, but with all the extra equipment, normally carries fewer than ten. The RVSs cost about a million dollars each, and have been very successful in combat. The U.S. Navy evaluated nine suppliers for the procurement of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) trucks, destined to augment and later replace up-armored HMMWVs currently operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new vehicles provides much improved protection , specifically against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which cause 70% of all U.S. casualties in Iraq. The Cougar from Force Protection Industries is the most widely sought-after armored vehicle under the military's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program. The vehicle is designed with a V-shaped underbody that was adapted from the hull of the speedboats the company used to make. Force Protection has now won more than $1 billion in Cougar orders, including contracts for almost half of the armored vehicles being purchased through MRAP. According to Force Protection Industries, not a single person has died in a Cougar after more than 2 million operational hours. Here, two Marines stand in front of a Cougar after it was hit last December by an improvised explosive device less than a meter away. While the occupants suffered minor injuries, including blown eardrums, they were able to drive home at 30 miles per hour with two good tires.