MRAPs to get upgrade for Afghanistan - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

MRAPs to get upgrade for Afghanistan

The Corps will upgrade mine-resistant vehicles with independent suspension systems for the first time, improving their ability to take the pounding that goes with driving in Afghanistan.

The TAK-4 system used on the Corps’ seven-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement and some civilian fire trucks will be installed on four-wheeled and six-wheeled Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, Marine officials said. The Corps has purchased about 1,500 TAK-4 systems tailored for MRAPs for $158 million from vehicle maker Force Protection Industries Inc., and could begin installing the hardware in the next few months, company officials said.

“The independent suspension solution provides greater operational flexibility to the field commanders and also makes the … MRAPs even more viable solutions for the harsher off-road environment” in Afghanistan, said Cheryl Irwin, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon’s Joint MRAP Program Office.

The purchase of the TAK-4 systems comes as the Pentagon works to field the new MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle, a smaller, lighter MRAP designed specifically for Afghanistan. Officials had planned to field them by June, but may experience delays because in early April one of the competitors for the M-ATV contract, Navistar International Corp., lodged an undisclosed complaint with the Government Accountability Office about the selection process.

The two major benefits of the TAK-4 are its ability to carry heavy loads and the way it allows wheels to cushion bumps by extending and contracting vertically by 16 inches, keeping the wheels against the ground over rocky terrain, said Steve Zink, vice president of defense for Oshkosh Defense, which supplies the TAK-4 to Force Protection, maker of the Cougar.

“We have about 16 inches of wheel travel [between the tire and the wheel well], and that wheel travel provides off-road mobility and improved ride quality that allows Marines to arrive at their destination less fatigued,” Zink said.

Pentagon officials began working with defense manufacturers to overhaul the Cougar’s suspension system in August and are expected to upgrade suspension systems for other variants of the MRAP in coming years, Zink said.

Force Protection anticipates the MRAP Joint Program Office will want the work completed on forward operating bases, most likely beginning in the next few months and continuing in 2010, said Tommy Pruitt, the company’s senior communications director.