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Pentagon orders 3,000 mine-resistant armored vehicles
Washington (AFP) Dec 19, 2007 The Pentagon said Wednesday it has ordered more than 3,100 new mine-resistant armored vehicles worth some 2.6 billion dollars, with the aim of eventually owning a fleet of more than 15,000. The order will be filled by Force Protection Industries, BAE Systems, Armor Holdings and BAE, and International Military and Government, a subsidary of Navistar International, the Defense Department said in a statement. "The goal was 1,500 plus in theater by the end of the year, and there will be 1,500 plus in theater by the end of the year," said spokesman Geoff Morrell. The new order for 3,126 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles will boost the total number purchased by the Pentagon for delivery by mid-2008 to almost 12,000. Some 1,300 MRAP are currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, Morrell added. In September the Pentagon estimated that it needed some 15,000 armored vehicles specially designed to withstand mines, particularly in Iraq. Morrell said the Army was constantly re-evaluating its needs, and could decide to scale back its order given the partial troop withdrawal from Iraq. But "commanders in Afghanistan would like more in Afghanistan than originally requested," he added, so "we don't believe the joint requirement (for more than 15,000 MRAPs) would have to be adjusted." The administration of US President George W. Bush has been severely criticized for its slowness to deliver the necessary material to the troops on the frontline in Iraq. And US Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the purchase of MRAPs a priority after learning that not a single soldier had been killed while driving in one. The vehicles are designed to ensure that the force of the explosion from hidden landmines is diverted to the outside of the vehicle and away from the troops on the inside. The order will be split between the Illinois-based International Military and Government which has won the lion's share with an order for 1,500 MRAP. The rest will be built by Force Protection Industries, some 358 MRAPs; the US arm of the British defense manufacturers BAE Systems with 600 MRAPs, and Armor Holding and BAE with 668 vehicles. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com
iRobot Wins 286 Million Dollar US Army Contract
Burlington MA (SPX) Dec 20, 2007iRobot has announced it has been awarded the xBot contract, a $286 million Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), on behalf of the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Under the terms of the contract, the Army could order up to 3,000 military robots, spare parts, training and repair services over the next five years. |
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