Free Republic

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration plans to accelerate deliveries of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles for the U.S. military in Iraq. Officials said not one Marine has been killed during 300 IED attacks on MRAPs. They said MRAP's raised, V-shaped underbelly deflected the force of IEDs. In all, the Marines have deployed 65 MRAPs in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said MRAP offered improved troop protection over up-armored Humvees. Gates said MRAP would replace armored Humvees, particularly in the Marine Corps. "Our experience is that Marines in these vehicles have been four or five times safer than a Marine in...

HMMWV, IEDed(click to view full) Senator Biden [D-DE] took some deserved heat the other day for saying something really stupid, not exactly an uncommon occurrence for a politician. What is uncommon is an effort by a politician that actually makes a difference on the ground, and fulfills a moral calling. Which Senator Biden has also done recently... and so I'd like to cover that road less traveled, instead. What he has done is going to save a number of lives, on the front lines, in both of CENTCOM's theaters of war. It's late, the reasons why it's late have shocked...

RG-31M Proves Itself in Afghanistan April 19, 2007: Last year, Canada bought 75 RG31 (Nyala) armored vehicles for its 2,300 troops in Afghanistan. The Canadian version, the RG-31M, had special equipment installed, including jammers (to prevent roadside bombs from being detonated via a wireless device) and a remotely (from inside the vehicle) operated 12.7mm machine-gun. There were problems with the installation of the machine-gun system, including some software glitches. In addition, when the jammer was turned on, most of the RG-31s found that their alternators quickly burned out. These problems were eventually eliminated. Otherwise, the RG-31s have given good service....

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...

Canadians escape suicide blastcnews.canoe.ca By Les Perreaux September 27, 2006 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With a muffled thump and the flash of a "second sun," Canadian soldiers faced another brush with death Wednesday as a suicide bomber hit their convoy. There were no Canadian casualties but one Afghan civilian was hurt. Such attacks have happened so frequently in Kandahar that local firefighters drove past the blast's aftermath on their way to collect a modest gift of rudimentary firefighting gear at a Canadian camp. The spade shovels and tin buckets were neatly stacked earlier in the day for the hearts-and-minds gift...

NAJAF, Iraq — As U.S. troops prepare to vacate a once-key forward operating base on the fringes of this Shiite Muslim holy city, Iraqi soldiers are bracing themselves for the impending handover. Last week, soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division received a shipment of 10 new Polish-built armored cars.The hulking vehicles, which are studded with machine-gun ports and spray-painted with the Iraqi flag, are intended to aid Iraqi army soldiers in dealing with conflicts between Shiite militias who are vying for political supremacy in this area — the cultural and spiritual heart of Iraq’s Shiite-led...

June 23, 2006 Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are the number one killer of US soldiers in Iraq, and the focus of an enormous effort by the US military - in 2005, the U.S. military spent US$3.3 billion to defeat IEDs and one of the key answers found in the quest was the 28,550-pound Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Cougar. The Cougar’s v-shaped hull assists deflection of a mine or improvised explosive device blast away from the vehicle’s capsule, keeping the passengers safe and the vehicle intact. The ballistic glass with gun ports allow the passengers to engage insurgents ambush attempts without...

Sgt. Rene Knox Jr. of New Orleans was driving a heavily armored Humvee on a blackened dirt road near Balad, Iraq, when the vehicle rolled down an embankment and into a canal — killing Knox, two other soldiers and a serviceman trying to rescue them. Three days later, Sgt. Timothy R. Osbey and Spc. Joseph A. Rahaim, National Guardsmen from Magnolia, Miss., drowned under nearly identical circumstances when their Humvee rolled over into a canal. Twelve days later, Sgt. Julio E. Negron and Spc. Lizbeth Robles of Fort Carson, Colo., were killed and two others were injured after their armored...

Wheeled armored vehicles have become the hot item everywhere on the planet, especially in the last five years. The new American Stryker vehicle is just part of the trend. However, the success of the Stryker in Iraq has encouraged more orders for these vehicles, which are faster on roads, and cheaper and easier to maintain. The main manufacturers are Patria (Finnish), Steyr (Austrian, but owned by General Dynamics), Mowag (Austrian [Swiss], also owned by General Dynamics) and the BTR line (an old series of Russian vehicles, currently built by two Russian firms.) There are other manufacturers, but the above firms...

Needing light armored vehicles as quickly as possible, Iraq has bought over a thousand from Turkish manufacturer Otocar. These six ton vehicles provide similar protection to that of an armored hummer. Iraq also ordered over a thousand similar DZIK 3 vehicles from Poland. These weigh 5.5 tons and are similar to the Otocar vehicles. Both the Otocar and DZIK vehicles carry up to eleven troops, and mount a machine-gun (usually 7.62mm or 12.7mm). By the end of 2006, the Iraqi police and army expect to be running all combat patrols (ones where ambush or roadside bombs might be a factor)...

The Australian Bushmaster armored truck has proved itself capable during its first combat use in Iraq. The vehicle was developed in Australia in the late 1990s, with mass production finally beginning in 2002. Originally, the plan was to order 341 vehicles, to equip three light infantry battalions. These units would thus be able to patrol vast areas of uninhabited coasts and the outback (the large arid region comprising most of the interior). There was enough space in the vehicles to store three days worth of supplies for these patrols. In 2000, two of the prototype vehicles were sent with the...

Thousands of pounds of armor added to military Humvees in Iraq have made the vehicles more likely to roll over and kill or injure soldiers, a newspaper reported. "I believe the up-armoring has caused more deaths than it has saved," Scott Badenoch, a former Delphi Corp. vehicle dynamics expert, told the Dayton Daily News for its Sunday editions. An analysis of the Army's ground-accident database, which includes records from March 2003 through November 2005, found that 60 of the 85 soldiers who died in Humvee accidents in Iraq -- or about 70 percent -- were killed when the vehicle rolled,...

News Release 25 New Armoured Patrol Vehicles Heading to Kandahar NR–06.024 - May 31, 2006OTTAWA – The Department of National Defence is purchasing an additional 25 new armoured patrol vehicles for Operation ARCHER, the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan. These new vehicles, a version of the RG-31 Nyala manufactured by BAE Land Systems OMC in the Republic of South Africa, are providing excellent protection for our troops while they conduct patrols, command and liaison, and reconnaissance tasks in mountainous terrain and complex urban centers of Afghanistan. This $31 million option to buy is in addition to an existing contract valued...

Back in November, 2005, DefenseReview published a press release on the Cougar Joint Explosive Ordnance Rapid Response Vehicle (JERRV) and Buffalo Mine Clearance Vehicle made by Force Protection, Inc. (a.k.a. Force Protection Industries, Inc.). We've been hearing good things about the performance of these armored vehicles in the Sandbox (theater of operations), and recently spoke with Force Protection VP Mike Aldrich about them. Two of the vehicle design features we on the phone discussed were V-hull and diamond-shaped crew compartment utilized by both vehicles. We're going to publish a more in-depth article on the Buffalo and Cougar armored vehicles based...

Stryker ramps up to unveil Mobile Gun System By Annette FournierMay 9, 2006 FORT BENNING, Ga. (Army News Service, May 9, 2006) – The newest version of the Stryker vehicle, designed to provide fire power to Infantry units, will be unveiled May 15 at Fort Knox's Armor Warfighting Symposium. The development of the Mobile Gun System is being managed by Fort Benning's Training and Doctrine Command System Manager-Stryker/Bradley. The system was developed to meet the infantry’s need for a highly mobile support vehicle to supply rapid, direct fire, specifically during close assaults, said Dave Rogers, a TSM-Stryker senior analyst....

Britain is buying 80 armored trucks for their troops in Afghanistan, who are facing a more hostile environment that they did in Iraq. Eighty Pinzgauer military trucks are being bought, at a cost of $788,000 each. The Pinzgauer was developed, in the early 1970s, by the Austrian firm Steyr-Daimler-Puch (which now has an assembly plant in Britain). This new cross country truck design proved very popular with the civilian market, and then with military users. Cheaper and, to their users, more versatile and reliable than trucks from the larger military vehicle manufacturers, there are now over 30,000 Pinzgauers in service...

An inside look at the Pentagon's inadequate response to the IED threat in Iraq. "Between the increase in armor and the changes in tactics, techniques and procedures that we've employed, the number of attacks . . . that have been effective has gone down, and the number of casualties per effective attack has gone down." --General Peter Pace Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff November 2005 GENERAL PETER PACE issued that statement last November in response to an inquiry about the Pentagon's efforts to combat the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. What General Pace did not...

CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq — Spc. David Norris swivels like a ball-turret gunner in an old bomber as he moves the internal turret of his Armored Security Vehicle to check for prowling insurgents on a main Iraqi road. With a turret that allows gunners to fire while inside the vehicle, three layers of armor and an imposing look, the ASVs also have a distinct psychological effect on those inside and out of the vehicles, soldiers said. The ASV is part of the evolving war-scape of Iraqi roads, which has proven to be a tough battleground for Humvees. Norris, 24, has been...

Set Condition 1 has some info on the contenders: Bushmaster meets the competition in the USAirborne Combat Engineer notes The Army is looking at off-the-shelf vehicles and asks Why not buy an interim replacement for the Humvee?Joe Katzman: Hummer Deathtraps Suck: Take 2UPDATE: I knew I'd seen another good post on the Humvee problem just recently. In an update to his post, Joe K points out Washington Park Prophet's, um, The Humvee Problem.For the record, Murdoc isn't necessarily down on the Humvee. But Murdoc's down on the fact that our military seems to be reacting in slow motion to this...

Backgrounder: Armoured patrol vehicles BG-06.01 OTTAWA, Ontario — The Army is acquiring Armoured Patrol Vehicles (APV) that will provide a high level of protection for troops while they conduct patrol, command and liaison, and reconnaissance tasks in complex urban and mountainous terrain. Based on the RG-31 Mine-Protected Vehicle, from General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), the APV is a 4 x 4 wheeled vehicle with bullet resistant windows and enhanced protection against both Improvised Explosive Devices and ballistic threats. The APV is specifically designed to resist under wheel and under belly mine strikes to enhance crew survivability by providing...

Over at DID, I note that the US military has just begun fielding a new variant of the HMMWV jeep: the M1151 and M1152. Think of them as Hummer v2.1. The good news is that the new hummers are designed for rapid installation and removal of armor in the field, with minimal tools and support. This greatly simplifies logistics and upgrades, and allows the armor to be removed when it isn't needed so the Hummers will last a little longer (up-armored HMMWV suspensions die quickly due to all the extra weight). The bad news is that despite the armor improvements,...

The U.S. Army has discovered a remote control gun turret that works, and cannot get enough of them. The army wants over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but is only getting 15 a month. There should be about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year. The idea for CROWS has been around for nearly half a century. Years of tinkering, and better technology, eventually made the remote control gun turret effective and dependable. CROWS us a real life saver, not to mention anxiety reducer, for troops who drive through bandit country a lot, and...

More and more European armies, whether in NATO or not, are going over to wheeled armored vehicles. Some are likely to abandon tracked armored vehicles entirely, given current mission requirements (i.e., the increasing demands for troops trained and equipped for "peace and stability" operations). Among armies that have adopted or have announced that they will adopt wheeled armored vehicles are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Span, and Switzerland. In addition, a number of other armies outside of Europe are taking this route, either wholly or in part, including Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S., as...

Sometimes, governments carry out acts of piracy. A case occurred last month when a Ukrainian ship, carrying fifteen Belgian Pandur wheeled armored vehicles, on loan to UN peacekeeping troops from Benin, stopped at a port in Equatorial Guinea. There, on January 3rd, officers from the Equatorial Guinean navy boarded the ship, arrested the four Beninese soldiers guarding the vehicles (and other military equipment). Shortly there after, the stuff the Beninese soldiers were guarding was removed from the ship. The Ukrainian ship was actually carrying a hundred vehicles for the UN, all painted white, with UN markings. The UN is trying...

On February 3, 2006, it was reported that 15 of Belgium's Pandur armored personnel carriers were stolen, together with radio equipment and field kitchens. The equipment was meant for a Beninese battalion that is part of the UN force in the Congo.Thanks to some help from DID's Benelux reader David Vandenberghe, DID can bring you the details. In December a ship under the flag of Saint Kitts & Nevis (VRT's report was incorrect) left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge for Congo, chartered by Geodis under the auspices of the UN. The cargo ship never made it to its destination. Four...

Yet another European nation is replacing its Cold War era armored vehicles, with wheeled vehicles similar to the American Stryker. Belgium has ordered 241 Piranha IIIC vehicles. This vehicle is based on the Piranha III LAV, long used by the U.S. Marines. These vehicles were designed by Mowag of Switzerland, a company now owned by General Dynamics. The 14 ton, 8x8 vehicle has a maximum road speed of 100 kilometers an hour. Belgium is getting several variants of the vehicle, (99 infantry carriers, 32 armed with a 30-mm autocannon, 40 with a 90-mm cannon., 24 command vehicles, 12 ambulances, 17...

General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received a $128.3 million firm-fixed-price contract for Light Armored Vehicles (LAV) and Supporting Logistics and Engineering Products. According to General Dynamics, this is increment of a $257 million contract for 130 new eight-wheeled LAV-A2 vehicles in armored personnel (LAV-PC), anti-tank (LAV-AT), command & control (LAV-C2), logistics (LAV-L), and mortar (presumably LAV-EFSS) variants for the U.S. Marine Corps. Note that these are improved variants of the the LAV Gen II models used by the Marines et. al. since the 1980s, rather than LAV IIIs which are called Stykers in the USA. These eight-wheeled...

General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, MI received a $24.5 million contract for spare parts that are unique to the two newest Stryker variants: the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System (MGS) and the M1135 Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV). This contract funds procurement of initial unique spares for the first-time fielding of these two variants, and has a total potential value of $50 million if all options are exercised. So, how does this fit into the evolution of the USA's Stryker vehicle family, and future production plans? The Stryker MGS and NBCRV variants entered low-rate initial production...

Editor’s note: A clarification to this story has been issued since its original publication. HEIDELBERG, Germany — The first U.S. forces to rotate into the future training facility in Romania will likely be from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), probably some time in the summer of 2007. The Stryker brigade is expected to relocate this year from Fort Lewis, Wash., to Grafenwöhr. One of its battalions plus a few other units are expected to go to Romania for the initial rotation, according to Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the U.S. Army Europe deputy chief of staff for operations. In the summer...

General Dynamics announced that the Czech Republic has selected General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems subsidiary Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH of Austria to supply the Czech army with 199 new eight-wheeled Pandur II armored personnel carriers (APCs) between 2007 and 2012. The vehicles will replace Soviet-era OT-64 SKOT APCS, and be produced in Austria and the Czech Republic. As DID noted in its coverage of the initial contenders, the contract includes an option for 35 additional vehicles and has a potential value of Koruna 23.6 billion (approximately $1 billion). Steyr's Pandur II was a finalist alongside Patria's AMV (Armoured Modular Vehicle),...

Stryker vehicles being prepared for deployment in Iraq are being retrofitted with "slat" armor. The fact that they are being upgraded with this armor has given Stryker critics fuel for the fire. The critics of the Stryker vehicle claim that it is a high tech death trap for the troops who ride inside. Yet the problem really isn't the Stryker vehicle, it's the proliferation of high powered yet cheap munitions. Critics should take into consideration that RPG's are a serious threat to ANY vehicle, including the M1A2 tanks (depending on where the tank is hit). The energy utilized by RPG's...

When the Stryker entered service in Iraq with it’s slat armor “cage” (to protect against RPGs), there was some criticism, and some crude humor, directed at that particular rig. But the slat armor did the job, and now Russia is offering it’s similar BTR-80 vehicle, equipped with slat armor. While the United States abandoned wheeled armored vehicles after World War II, Russia kept theirs, and constantly improved their BTR series. While not as heavy, or as high tech, as the American Stryker, the BTR vehicles are popular with many nations, especially for use by police and paramilitary forces. The current...

Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan are getting 43 new armoured patrol vehicles with improved protection from ground-level mine blasts but they may not be a panacea for the type of suicide attack that killed a Canadian diplomat and injured three soldiers in Kandahar. The new armoured patrol vehicles (APVs), based on the South African Nyala anti-mine vehicle, will be used mainly for patrols and route reconnaissance. They are designed to "resist under-wheel and under-belly mine strikes to enhance crew survivability" and to protect occupants "from small arms, hand grenades and anti-tank mines." That description comes from a Canadian Forces background and...

January 11, 2006: The U.S. Army’s new Stryker wheeled armored vehicle has been in Iraq for over two years now. The first Stryker brigade left its 299 Stryker vehicles in Iraq, when the troops finished their one year tour. Now, after two years, those vehicles are being brought home and refurbished. Seven percent of the vehicles got banged up pretty bad, mostly by roadside bombs. These had to be rebuilt. Those 299 Strkyers averaged about 24,000 kilometers a year. Some put in close to 110,000 kilometers. Military wheeled vehicles operating in that part of the world are in need of...

Engineer Paul Green wheels his company's new fully armored combat vehicle over the clay roads and muddy streambeds of the South Carolina backcountry, guns the engine and races over one hill and then the next. "This is designed to be what we thought would be a step up from the Humvee," he shouts as he shifts gears. "This vehicle was never designed to be a direct replacement for the current armored Humvee." But the prototype -- christened the MUV-R (Mine-protected Utility Vehicle/Rapid Deployable) by its manufacturer, Charleston, S.C.-based Force Protection, Inc. -- may well be.

Why is it taking so long to design, develop, produce, and deploy — in adequate numbers — a troop-transporting armored vehicle that would replace the up-armored Humvee in Iraq? I've been asked that question time and again, not by soldiers and Marines who ride in Humvees daily, but by fellow journalists, many of whom have logged time in Iraq or Afghanistan. One reporter said to me it was "criminal negligence" on the part of the White House and the Defense Department. Another referred to it as "the ultimate betrayal" of our soldiers. Despite their time in country, both reporters are...

E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend Version December 21, 2005, 8:05 a.m. The “Ultimate Betrayal�? Humvee realities. By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Why is it taking so long to design, develop, produce, and deploy — in adequate numbers — a troop-transporting armored vehicle that would replace the up-armored Humvee in Iraq? I've been asked that question time and again, not by soldiers and Marines who ride in Humvees daily, but by fellow journalists, many of whom have logged time in Iraq or Afghanistan. One reporter said to me it was "criminal negligence" on the part of the...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/20/MNGD8GAJNJ1.DTL

Associated Press FORT LEWIS — After logging thousands of miles during their first two years in Iraq, the Army's Stryker vehicles are getting an overhaul before being sent back with soldiers. The eight-wheeled, armored vehicles are being worked on by mechanics from General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., which made the Strykers and has a $69 million Army contract to restore them. Maintenance is taking place at this post south of Seattle and at a company yard in Auburn. The Strykers arrived home by ship in late October. They were used for a year in Iraq by the 3rd Brigade, 2nd...

OTTAWA (CP) - Three Canadian soldiers and a journalist injured by a bomb in Afghanistan may well have been killed had it not been for the light-armoured vehicle they were travelling in, say military experts and the reporter involved in the blast. "It's lucky they weren't in an Iltis," said Scott Taylor, editor of Esprit de Corps military magazine, referring to the light-duty, open-top jeeps once used by Canada's military in Afghanistan. The soldiers and a foreign journalist were injured Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their G-Wagon - an enclosed vehicle with armour plating and thick, shock-resistant windows....

Berman was supposed to be part of the Blackwater team that was in Fallujah on that ill-fated day. But a last minute schedule change placed him in the south of Iraq at Camp Bucca, near Umm Qasr. On the highway to Baghdad the following day, Berman received the phone call: A Blackwater detail had been hit. Four men were dead.

I've just learned that during an operation near Baghdad, this morning, one of our armored vehicles - a brand new one unofficially referred to as "The Rock" - was hit by an IED. The vehicle sustained no major damage, and - best of all - ZERO injuries were suffered by passengers or crew. I first reported on "The Rock" earlier this month at NavySEALs.com and elsewhere. It is being manufactured by Kuwait-based Granite Global Services which was founded in the spring of 2004 by SEAL Reservist Chris Berman, then-working for Blackwater Security. Berman started the company after four of his...

HALIFAX (CP) - The Canadian army is spending $36 million to improve the armour plating on its relatively thin-skinned reconnaissance vehicles and trucks destined for duty in war-torn Afghanistan. A team of seven specialists spent several weeks adding bolt-on armour to dozens of half-tonne trucks, Bison troop carriers, Coyote reconnaissance vehicles and Light Armoured Vehicles, otherwise known as LAV3s. The plating is meant to protect soldiers from rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs favoured by insurgents around the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The upgrade comes as Canada ramps up its commitment to the region. By February, as many as 1,500...

Rafael wins $70m contract with Polish Army Rafael beat leading manufacturers of remote controlled weapon stations. Hadas Manor 14 Nov 05 12:29 The Polish Army has chosen Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. to supply cannon stations in a $70 million contract. Rafael won the contract when the Polish Ministry of Defense and WZM decided to equip the Polish Army with Patria Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) equipped with Rafael cannon stations. Rafael’s Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) enable troops to direct and fire cannons from inside armored cars, without being exposed. The cannon station has fire control system includes a high-performance...

BAGHDAD -- The padded walls and bulletproof glass kept the sound of the world out as the crew of the Buffalo ambled down the highway at a grazing pace, examining litter. Boxes. Rags. Bags. Dead dogs. The American soldiers riding in the military's newest weapon against roadside bombs scrutinized everything they saw beneath their windows. "Hey, he says he sees a rag," Staff Sgt. Matthew Dzuricky, 28, of Erie, Pa., called out to his men in the Buffalo, a lumbering South African armored personnel carrier designed to withstand land mines. Against all conventional Baghdad traffic wisdom, the Buffalo headed straight...

Although the M1114, armored, version of the hummer gets a lot of publicity because of its popularity among troops in Iraq, the 5.5 ton vehicle has been around for some ten years. Originally intended for peacekeeping operations, it was successfully used in the Balkans during the 1990s. The M1114 was based on a earlier version, that had served in the 1991 campaign in Kuwait. The M1114 is basically an armored car, with a crew of four and a payload of one ton (plus two tons that can be towed.) A 190 horsepower engine gives it a top speed of 80...

When the Stryker wheeled armored vehicle was introduced three years ago, it promptly became a criticism magnet. That’s not unusual. There hasn’t been a new armored American vehicle in the last three decades that was able to enter service free of savage criticism. The Stryker had an advantage, as it was able to go off to war as soon as the first Stryker units were formed. Even most critics agree that combat is the final arbiter of which weapons really work, and which don’t. The Stryker promptly became enormously popular with its users. What made the Stryker a battlefield success...

HAIFA, Israel: RAFAEL Armament Development Authority has released two new light armored vehicles, together with partners FPI and International, which are intended for the US Army and NATO Forces. The vehicles: Cougars, produced by Force Protection, Inc. and the International, produced by International and Griffin, are currently being introduced into the US Marines. The changes to the modern battlefield, including increased activity in urban environments, make it necessary to find better solutions for protecting soldiers. This is especially true for soldiers on the move from place to place; in danger of being attacked by roadside bombs, anti-armor weapons and a...

The U.S. Marine Corps is buying 38 more Cougar armored vehicles, in addition to the 27 they already have. The official name of these armored trucks is JERRV (joint explosive ordnance disposal rapid response Vehicles). The U.S. Army also uses over a hundred of them. Basically, JERRV is a 12 ton truck that is hardened to survive bombs and mines. The Cougar can get engineers into combat situations where mines, explosives or any kind of obstacle, have to be cleared. The bulletproof Cougars are built using the same construction techniques pioneered by South African firms that have, over the years,...

Hurricane Katrina has reduced production of armored vehicles used by troops in Iraq. The plant assembling the ASV (armored security vehicle) is in southern Louisiana, and was flooded by Katrina. About 85 percent of the 1,200 workers are still missing, having been displaced when their homes were destroyed by the hurricane. The Textron plant itself was damaged, but not destroyed. The workers who have returned are cleaning things up and getting ready to resume production by the end of October. The plant has orders for some 900 ASVs. The ASVs, costing about $690,000 each, were originally developed in the 1990s...