Sunday, November 18, 2007

MRAP

I really have to admit a fascination with all things military... historical, tactical, strategic, logistical... it all fascinates me. Call it the "Armchair General" in me, I just can't help it.

MRAP: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. Produced for the USMC by FPI as the Cougar HE. Crew 2+4, Engine 330+hp Cummings Diesel, Armor 7.62 ball-round rated, mined protected wheels and center line carriage, Armament (primary) remote weapons platform capable of numerous variants including TOW, .50 cal auto-machinegun, 40mm autocannon, twin .30 cal machineguns, Cost aprox. $500,000 ea.

This peach is already slated to be the primary urban and urban assault vehicle of the USMC. Only possible short-comings I can see is the fact that it is only 1/3 the troops capacity of an M113, and half of the Bradley. Top speed of 65 mph and (seemingly) top-notch design and engineering seem to make this a hot item for combat troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Big ticket seller? The price tag. This vehicle is easily just as versatile as the JEEP was in WWII, and just as economical to build and operate. 1/6 the cost of a Bradley, and half the cost of a M113... half a million for one of these is as cheap as any budget-conscience politician can hope for.

Gotta see if Jambo and my friend Rick has had a rise in one of these...
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Check out the Cheetah by the same company. Costs alot less than the Cougar and in line to possibly replace all hummvees. www.forceprotection.net

November 18, 2007 at 9:05 PM
Titus said...

Thanks for the link. Do we need an introduction, or is this someone too lazy to log in?

November 19, 2007 at 3:16 PM
Baddboy said...

There are 7 or 8 different MRAPS in production in different numbers for the US military right now. 3 different classifications based on chassis weight if I remember correctly. Everyone seems to think that is going to be a logistics nightmare to have so many manufacturers and configuations but only time will tell. As far as I'm concerned we can live with the logistics problems...just protect our troops. As soon as I can get back to my desk at the base I will post the specifics, read a whole like 12 page article on all of the different ones that were currently under contract and saw some pics and stats on the ones that were trying to pick up a contract. I love the whole thing and I hope they keep it up.

Badboy

November 20, 2007 at 4:12 AM
Titus said...

I, too, read about the variants... and the issues with too many roles for one vehicle.

Doesn't anyone else recall how the HumVee (and all ITS variants) were supposed to replace the JEEP? It did, very well, but this is an adaptable, versatile platform that is far better suited to the role of anti-terrorist than it is an infantry-support vehicle... in my eyes.

Hummers can still play the part of scout-support-field ambulance, but if we need to get infantry on the ground and mobile in an environment that risks mines-IED-RPG's... just seems a no-brainer to pick the MRAP.

November 20, 2007 at 6:21 AM

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