New Armored Ride Will Protect Troops From IEDs in Afghanistan

July was the deadly time for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began. Fortunately, after nearly eight years of fighting, Army infantry and Marines in Afghanistan will finally be getting a new vehicle that is designed to meet the challenges of the theater.

Most of the damage to American soldiers in Afghanistan is done with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). These roadside bombs have proven to be a plague to U.S. and coalition troops, who load into convoys of mine-resistant heavy vehicles, called MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), that were designed to protect troops from blasts. The Pentagon, aided by an influx of Congressional funds, went on an MRAP-buying spree when Humvees in Iraq became targets of choice for insurgents. But the family of MRAPs produced for the Iraq war is not well-suited for Afghanistan. The vehicles' suspensions cannot handle the lack of paved roads. Top-heavy with armor, the vehicles can tip, especially along the steep, winding paths that lead to rural villages. Humvees are too lightly protected, and MRAPs too top-heavy. So the Pentagon just spent more than $3 billion on a vehicle that it hopes will be just right. About 5000 of these new vehicles, called the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) are expected to be fielded by spring 2010. The Pentagon's contracts with Oshkosh Corp., one issued last month and a second issued today, specify that the company deliver all the M-ATVs by March 2010, but the first are expected in theater by October. By December, the company plans to make 1000 M-ATVS a month.