Congress Hearts MRAP

The House Armed Services Committee is nuts over the Mine Resistance Ambush Protected Vehicle, or MRAP, which has a v-shaped hull that makes it resistant to bombs. In two separate markups of the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill, the House Armed Services air land and seapower and expeditionary forces subcommittees have increased MRAP procurement funding by $4.1 billion. The vehicles cost about $1 million per copy.

The vehicle technology is so good that no soldier has died in one, according to an article last month by USA Today. In late March, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) sponsored an amendment to the embattled FY-07 supplemental defense spending bill that would add $1.5 billion in funding to accelerate procurement of MRAP vehicles for the war.

A string of U.S. contractors are producing the vehicles including Armored Holdings, Force Protection Industries, International Trucks and General Dynamics Land Systems.

Force Protection Industries has an informative, if a bit corny video, about the Buffalo MRAP on its Web site. Unfortunately, I can't download and post it here but you can watch it yourself. Click on the video titled "Mean Machines." It looks like a preview for a Monster Truck show that seems a little over the top for the seriousness of its mission, but who says defense contractors can't have a little fun while showing off?

Anyway, what I learned about the Buffalo is that it is protected not just by its v-shaped hull and monster size, but by the fact that it is manufactured out of one giant sheet of metal. Reducing the number of panels increases its survivability. Also, solid steel wheels are underneath the rubber tires so the enemy can take out the tires and the Buffalo will keep on roaming. A hydraulic arm enables the crew to scope out suspicious packages and unexploded ordnance from a safe distance.

--Catherine MacRae Hockmuth

Comments

[Mike Harbour]

Catherine:

To clarify, MRAP is a program, not a vehicle. It actually consists of two vehicles, the Category I Mine Resistant Utility Vehicle (MRUV), intended for urban operations, and it's bigger brother, the Category II Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicle (JERRV). The MRAP program is a joint acquisition between the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.

Mike Harbour
Freelance writer

[Sean Meade]

thanks for the clarification, Mike :-)

[Mr. Zippy]

Well Mike, since you thought it so important to correct Catherine, I thought I might help you out a bit...

First off, MRAP stands for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. So yes, a 4x4 Cougar, built by Force Protection, Inc, is in fact an MRAP as are the 6x6 Cougars.

Secondly, you were only 66% in your statement. The MRAP program consists of three (3) categories, not two (2).

You correctly stated what CAT I and CAT II vehicles are, but you failed to mention CAT III's which are Buffalo (this portion of the procurement is sole-sourced to Force Protection, Inc. as seen on the video that Catherine provided.

If you are interested in the company or the vehicles they are producing, I invite you to go to www.investorsvillage.com - enter FPRT and ask someone to point you to ALL of the due-diligence on the company. There are over 1,000 people per day visiting and posting insightful information on FPI.

Warmest regards,

Mr. Zippy

[Mike Harbour]

Z:

Easy, now! I wasn't trying to correct her (after all, I'm not paid to cover the defense industry for a living, so my knowledge of it is scant, at best, by comparison). My only goal was to clarify things a bit. I didn't mention the Category III machines because I didn't know about them, as my source material didn't mention that particular classification. I was aware of the Buffalo, but I didn't realize it was in a "class" of its own. Thanks for acknowledging I was at least "66% (correct)," at least!

Mike Harbour
Freelance writer