General Dynamics delivers first MRAP vehicles designed to deflect blasts from IEDs

General Dynamics ^ | Jul 11, 2007

[bnelson44]

General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has delivered its first Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to the U.S. Marine Corps from Anniston, Ala., less than 120 days after the company received its first production order for the new product.

The vehicle's unique, V-shaped hull is designed to deflect the force of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast away from the vehicle, keeping soldiers inside safe and alive. General Dynamics and its our partners, Force Protection, Anniston Army Depot and local subcontractors, are engaged in building these vehicles while increasing its combined production capacity to deliver 1000 vehicles per month.

The 80,000-square foot main General Dynamics assembly site for MRAP vehicles will eventually employ 220 new workers in Oxford, Ala. A supporting production site at the Anniston Army Depot will employ 50 new workers. General Dynamics Land Systems currently employs 240 workers at the depot building Fox and Stryker combat vehicles and the Abrams tank gunner's primary sight. Anniston Army Depot will partner with General Dynamics and perform a share of the MRAP work. General Dynamics also contracted with BR Williams to operate a warehouse in Oxford to support the new production operations.

General Dynamics currently employs approximately 700 workers throughout Alabama. These new positions will increase total General Dynamics' employment in the state to nearly 1000. Force Protection is a ballistics research and manufacturing enterprise, specializing in the development and production of highly-reinforced armored personnel carriers.

[bnelson44]

Looks like they might be selling them to NGOs

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20070327.aspx

[mamelukesabre]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RG-31

This looks an awful lot like a couger. I wonder if the south africans invented the concept first.

[PAR35]

The vehicle's unique, V-shaped hull

V shaped hulls are now the standard, rather than being unique.

[IrishCatholic]

I’m afraid the first 37 posters so far have missed the point. From a Democratic standpoint what is this vehicle’s carbon footprint? All well and good to use it to increase the 700,000 Iraqi dead (Cindy Sheehan source on YouTube) by Imperialists protecting big oil, but such heavy fuel guzzlers are destroying the planet.
Robert Kennedy should open congressional hearings immediately to investigate the flat earthers that came up with such a global warming danger.

Amazing. Could it be the fluoride in the water did have an effect after all? SO many people voting Democratic. SO many people believing the surge and the war is lost.

If I had the cash I would buy one and drive it to the grocery store every day with a Dick Cheney ‘08 sticker on the back.

[PAR35]

Super-jeep.

No, more the role of the half tracks.

[bnelson44]

To be fair, one of the most outspoken advocates of this vehicle is Senator Joe Biden.

But there is an issue. We want 1,000 vehicles a month, but that’s 4,000 tons of steel. The question is, do we have enough industrial capacity?

[bnelson44]

No, more the role of the half tracks.

I agree. My son calls his Hummvee a "truck". I have never thought of it as a truck. However the Cougar is a truck.

[bnelson44]

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is teaming with BAE Systems Ground Systems Division, to offer vehicles to the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program. GDLS Canada will provide the program management and logistic support while South African based BAE Systems Land Systems OMC will manufacture the vehicles in BAE Systems' facilities in York, Pennsylvania. For the MRAP program the team is offering the RG- 31 Mk5, the latest version of the highly successful RG-31 vehicle family, offering significant increase in power and payload while enhancing mine blast resistance and protection against both improvised explosive devices and ballistic threats. General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is providing vehicles for both Category I and Category II requirements of the MRAP program under this contract.

Force Protection, Inc. and General Dynamics Land Systems are forming a joint venture to offer the Cougar 4x4 and 6x6 armored vehicles for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program, a U.S. joint services program being managed by the U.S. Marine Corps. The joint venture was formed to offer Force Protection's Cougar 4x4 and 6x6 armored vehicles as an MRAP solution. The joint venture called Force Dynamics will include an experienced team in program management, systems engineering, production and service support from both Force Protection and General Dynamics. The companies are already cooperating in the fabrication of the armored capsule for the Cougar.

The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force requested 1,169 MRAP vehicles. The program calls for a commercially available off-road and highway capable armor and mine protected vehicle, configured for personnel, cargo and litter transportation. The vehicle should have a payload capacity of 5000 lbs, and will be able to carry 6 – 10 troops. The vehicle will be configured to carry existing gunner protected turrets or remotely controlled weapon stations, enabling the gunner to load, operate and engage targets from fully protected positions. To improve recovery after mine damage, the vehicle will be built of modular components that could break away from the vehicle in the case of a blast. Its energy absorbing seats should be capable of withstanding the accelerative effects of mine blasts.

The armor protection of the vehicle include mine protection and ballistic protection of the full, roof protection from overhead airburst and side protection against fragmentation and blast. The transparent armor windows will have protection level equal to or greater than that of the ballistic armor on the vehicle, and will have built-in gun-ports. RPG protection could also be an option.

http://www.defense-update.com/newscast/0107/news/310107_mrap_jv.htm

[Chode]

Steel Wheels...

[Leisler]

The South Africans built these IED resistant vehicles....35 years ago. Nice to see the rocket scientists and the thousands of Generals and all the paper-shufflers have come up to speed. Everything should be squared away by the time we are ready to leave, whereupon military bureaucracy can resume it’s slumbers.

[BJungNan]

Is that the one?

I think the other two pictured in the thread are it. Thought what I had was until I saw the others (the real big picture and the smaller one of the same vehicle).

[RobbyS]

Speaking of, they need something like a light tank with the same protection. An MIAI has a soft underbelly.

[RobbyS]

Right on—unfortunately. Why do I think that every third general in the Army ought to be retired tomorrow and not replaced?

[Uriah_lost]

Heres somebody using the current stuff in an anti-IED role. I check his blog daily and recommend it to anyone that will listen.
http://acutepolitics.blogspot.com/index.html

[Doctor Don]

The US needs to rush these vehicles as fast as they can be made to our guys. IEDs (a weapon used by Islamic cowards) kill so many soldiers. The Pentagon should make it the highest priority to make these in large numbers!

[bnelson44]

Doctor Don,
This project is DoD Sec Gates highest priority.

[sauropod]

Hmmmm... What happened to the evaluation?

DoD just buys it now (pig in a poke)?

[Uriah_lost]

As they try to build and emplace new and larger IEDs they spend more time at it and are more vulnerable. Larger IEDs will also be easier to spot. We are capable of outdoing anything they come up with and our men and women in the fight will exploit their vulnerabilities. It’s how long wars are fought.

[csvset]

Thanks for posting the link at # 54.

[R. Scott]

This vehicle appears to be great for ordinary explosive charges directly under them, but I would like to see it take a blast from the side - where most IEDS are. What happens when the terrorists start using more armor piercing mines - the ones with deforming copper projectiles?