Marines to trade in vulnerable Humvees

Baltimore Sun via Seattle Times ^ | 15 February 2007 | David Wood

[A.A. Cunningham]

Marines to trade in vulnerable Humvees

By David Wood
The Baltimore Sun

WASHINGTON — Marines in heavily armored Humvees are being killed by powerful roadside bombs at such a rate that the Marine Corps intends to replace all its Humvees in Iraq with specialized, blast-resistant armored vehicles, according to senior Marine officers.

The Army will continue to rely primarily on armored Humvees, senior Army officers said Wednesday.

The decision to scrap the Marines' Humvees in Iraq, after years of trying to protect crews by adding armor plate, was made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of Marines forces in the Middle East.

It will cost an additional $2.8 billion for the V-hull armored vehicles called MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, that are being delivered in small numbers to Iraq, and will take years to complete the replacement.

The Marines and the Army are buying MRAP vehicles and had planned to gradually add them into the fleets of Humvees in use in Iraq.

More than 700 Marines have been killed in Iraq since the war began almost four years ago. Almost two-thirds have been killed in Humvees, Marine officers said. In contrast, experience with the 65 MRAP vehicles the Marines have in Iraq shows that crews are four or five times more likely to survive a blast than those in armored Humvees.

[A.A. Cunningham]

[NormsRevenge]

"Tonka" goes to war?

GlobalSecurity.org

[OCCASparky]

This is what Murtha wants to take away from our people by witholding funding.

[miliantnutcase]

Why is this going to take years to complete. Cost should be no issue they should contract the construction of these things out to Ford/GM/Toyota to get them done.

[FreedomCalls]

$400,000 each?

[NormsRevenge]

The Threat level for our troops is at Code Pink..

Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Jan. 23, 2007 file photo, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iraq. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

[Centurion2000]

Sounds like they just ned to bring these back into service.

[MaxMax]

[Centurion2000]

Looks a lot like a South African REVA

[Jeff Head]

We already have some of these type vehciles in Iraq. We need a lot more. Here's a picture of one of the current variety with the 101st.

The Marines are desinging an even more heavily armored version.

[Jeff Head]

Here's a Marine RG-31 that was hit by an IED on January 6th. After the fact.

The IED detonated directly under the vehicle; however, the blast was pushed outward instead of directly straight up due to the vehicle's “V” shaped undercarriage. Of the five personnel in the vehicle, two received concussions and two others received minor burns.

[JSteff]

With those shaped charge IED's the enemy is using those ole half tracks would be shredded.

[buwaya]

Flat, thin bottom, plus an open top as a grenade target.

[JSteff]

I think for about the same price or less we can get Grizzlies like Canada has used in Somalia, Balkans, etc. In Somalia they hit 10 mines, w/no loss of life among troops carried.

They don't look flashy but they survive. They have the quick change suspensions so if it hits a mine they can just replace the affected suspension component. The hulls have a "v" shape which directs mine IED force up and away from the vehicle.

Why do we need to go with million $$ vehicles when less has proven to be better. South African and Rhodesian armies used vehicle like these with minimal lose of life to mines and IED. In fact the Meerkat is a variant of one of these vehicles. The variant we use is set up as a mine sweeper and has been VERY succesfull in Iraq.

[JSteff]

That is a very survivable vehicle in IED/mine situations. V hull and quick change suspensions make them VERY usefull vehicles. The also made the Rookat and the Meerkat a version of which we use for mine clearing in Iraq.

[JSteff]

"two received concussions and two others received minor burns."

Yeah, but the lived.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

RG-31

[R. Scott]

The V-hull Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles looks well designed to protect against conventional buried mines, but what about the armor piercing roadside mine? It hits the side of the vehicle, not the bottom.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

REVA

[Beckwith]

Those half-tracks were in maintenance all the time.

The South Koreans were the only ones to get them to work.