MRAP - Design

Design

MRAP vehicles usually have "V"-shaped hulls to deflect away any explosive forces originating below the vehicle, thereby protecting the vehicle and its passenger compartment. Typically these explosions are from land mines, but they can also be IEDs. This design dates to the 1970s when it was first introduced in specialised vehicles built by and for the Rhodesian army, and further developed by South African manufacturers, starting in 1978 with the Buffel (Buffalo) armored personnel carrier (APC). However, the TSG/FPI Cougar (designed by a British-led U.S. team in 2004 for a USMC requirement) became the springboard from which the MRAP program was launched.

Multiple contracts have been placed by the United States for this type of vehicle in response to the situation in the Iraq War. By issuing contracts to several companies, the Marine Corps hopes to accelerate the rate of production, in order to expedite the delivery of vehicles to deployed forces. However, there are only two steel mills in the United States, Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. and International Steel Group, qualified to produce armored steel for the Defense Department, which has been in negotiations to ensure enough steel is available to keep pace with production. The concept was to replace Humvee-type vehicles with a more robust, survivable vehicle when on patrol "outside the wire".

Designs were submitted by the following companies.

  • Armor Holdings (acquired by BAE Systems on 31 July 2007)
  • BAE Systems
  • Force Protection Inc (FPI)
  • General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS)
  • General Purpose Vehicles (GPV)
  • Navistar International Military Group (IMG)
  • Oshkosh Truck
  • Protected Vehicles Incorporated (PVI)
  • Textron Marine and Land Systems

Although early orders were placed with many of the contenders (see below), as of 18 October 2007, only IMG, FPI, and BAE remain in the competition for additional orders.

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