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Hundreds of MRAPs may be headed to Afghanistan

The Pentagon may send up to 500 more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, adding to the roughly 50 now in the country.

The MRAP being considered for this move is General Dynamics Land Systems Canada’s RG-31, Pentagon officials said.

“It’s lighter than some of the other vehicles, and commanders in Afghanistan believe it could be ideally suited for the terrain there. So now the discussion is, how many of those that we bought can be moved to Afghanistan to meet the commanders’ needs there?” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said.

Some of the RG-31s would be moved from Iraq, others purchased as part of the Joint Requirement Oversight Council’s requirement for 15,374 MRAPs by 2010.

The Pentagon has ordered 11,941 so far, most of which are slated to go to Iraq.

The 24-ton vehicles move with difficulty over rough Afghan terrain. Nonetheless, in October, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, who commands the Corps’ Systems Command in Quantico, Va., said hundreds of the recently ordered MRAPs will be sent to Afghanistan.

“We are focusing on using the Category I vehicles, the smallest of the three categories we are buying specifically to address concerns of mobility, because there the roads are even less amenable to traffic than they are in Iraq,” Brogan said. “We expect that they will serve a more niche purpose over there, probably more narrowly defined than they serve in Iraq.”

Lightweight Armor

The Army Research Laboratory is experimenting with a lightweight armor composite for MRAPs called ShieldAll, according to its manufacturer, Columbus, Ohio-based Battelle.

Army officials would not confirm that, saying they do not comment on specific materials being tested, said Don Jarosz, spokesman for Army TACom Life Cycle Management Command.

Batelle officials said ShieldAll components have in tests stopped explosively formed penetrators, a deadlier form of IED that fires molten slugs. Made from readily available materials combined in a unique and specific way, the composite may be used to improve components of Frag Kit 6, the ARL’s anti-EFP armor, which is installed on some MRAPs, Battelle scientist Jay Sayre said.

“ShieldAll has low space claims and light weight. The whole design of the armor system is modular, so it can be tailored to a variety of threats. You can defend against a 7.62mm or .50-cal.; with the same system you can make changes so it can defend against EFPs,” Sayre said. Various designs have been tested against EFPs at Aberdeen [Proving Ground, Md.], and we are now in the process of fabricating additional panels for our latest designs for upcoming tests,” Sayre said.