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30 octobre 2015 5 30 /10 /octobre /2015 08:30
photo Rafael

photo Rafael

 

October 26, 2015: Strategy Page

 

Israel has recently made available a lightweight (200 kg/440 pound) version of its Trophy APS (Active Protection System) called Trophy LV. This is intended for MRAPs (heavily armored trucks), IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) and other heavy vehicles that are lighter than tanks. The regular Trophy weighs about a ton and is one of several APS models on the market but it is also the one with the most impressive combat record.

 

By 2012 Israel was convinced sufficiently to equip all the Merkava tanks in an armor brigade with the Trophy APS. In 2010 the first battalion of Merkavas was so equipped. Then in 2011 Trophy defeated incoming missiles and rockets in combat for the first time. This included ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missile), possibly a modern Russian system like the Kornet E. This is a laser guided missile with a range of 5,000 meters. The launcher has a thermal sight for use at night or in fog. The missile's warhead can penetrate enough modern tank armor to render the side armor of the Israeli Merkava tank vulnerable. The Kornet E missile weighs 8.2 kg (18 pounds) and the launcher 19 kg (42 pounds). The system was introduced in 1994, and has been sold to Syria (who apparently passed them on to Hezbollah and Hamas). A few weeks before the ATGM intercept Trophy defeated an RPG warhead (an unguided rocket propelled grenade fired from a metal tube balanced on the shoulder). All this came a year after first equipping Merkava tanks with APS. As it was designed to do, Trophy operated automatically and the crew didn't realize the incoming RPG warhead or missile had been stopped until after it was over. That is how APS is supposed to work and Trophy has proved to be the most reliable and effective APS out there.

 

This first combat use is a big deal because APS has been around for nearly three decades but demand and sales have been slow. The main purpose of APS is to stop ATGMs but on less heavily armored vehicles, stopping RPG type warheads is important as well. This is the main reason for developing Trophy LV.

 

The Israeli Trophy APS uses better, more reliable, and more expensive technology than the original Russian Drozd (or its successors, like Arena) APS. This includes an electronic jammer that will defeat some types of ATGMs. For about $300,000 per system, Trophy will protect a vehicle from ATGMs as well as RPGs (which are much more common in combat zones). Israel is the first Western nation to have a lot of their tanks shot up by modern ATGMs and apparently fears the situation will only get worse. Trophy protected several Israeli tanks from ATGM and RPG attacks during the 50 Day War with Hamas in mid-2014. The Israeli manufacturer of Trophy also partners with American firms to manufacture Trophy and Trophy LV for the U.S. market.

 

Israel first encountered ATGMs, on a large scale, in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. But these were the clumsy, first generation missiles that turned out to be more smoke than fire. More recent ATGM designs have proved more reliable and effective but no nation, except Israel, has yet made a major commitment to APS. That may now change, simply because effective APS like Trophy are available and RPG and ATGM losses are growing.

 

Most APS consist of a radar to detect incoming missiles and small rockets to rush out and disable the incoming threat. A complete system weighs about a ton. There is also a Trophy Light (weighing half a ton) for lighter, often unarmored, vehicles and now the even lighter Trophy LV for vehicles as small as a hummer.

 

Russia pioneered the development of these anti-missile systems. The first one, the Drozd, entered active service in 1983, mainly for defense against American ATGMs. These the Russians feared a great deal, as American troops had a lot of them, and the Russians knew these missiles (like TOW) worked. Russia went on to improve their anti-missile systems but was never able to export many of them. This was largely because these systems were expensive (over $100,000 per vehicle), no one trusted Russian hi-tech that much and new tanks, like the American M-1, were seen as a bigger threat than ATGMs.

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14 octobre 2015 3 14 /10 /octobre /2015 11:20
MaxxPro MRAP photo Navistar Defence

MaxxPro MRAP photo Navistar Defence

 

13.10.2015 Navistar - army-guide.com

 

Navistar Defense, LLC is displaying, for the first time, its latest MaxxPro® MRAP. A Reset vehicle coming straight from the Reset line in West Point, Miss., this vehicle has an enhanced level of blast protection and features the Electronic Stability Control (ESC). The company also has on display the General Troop Transport (GTT) variant of its 7000 MV Medium Tactical Vehicle line which is similar to what will be delivered to Afghanistan under a recent $369 million order.

 

“The MaxxPro on display incorporates two very significant steps forward in improving safety and mission performance for our country’s warfighters,” said Kevin Thomas, president, Navistar Defense. “First, it is a Reset vehicle which brings a MaxxPro that previously deployed in support of combat operations and has now returned for an extensive refurbishment effort to restore it to like new condition while also being upgraded to the latest configuration. The second is that we have added electronic stability control which further improves safety and performance. As a result of this Reset effort, all MaxxPro vehicles in the U.S. Army inventory will be at the same level of configuration.”

 

These newly Reset and upgraded MaxxPro vehicles are re-entering service in Afghanistan. A total of 785 MaxxPro vehicles, in two variants, are being Reset under a $75 million contract.

 

“Our Medium Tactical Vehicle on display is an example of state-of-the-art technology for taking our commercial Series 7000 WorkStar® truck platform and making it tactically viable and flexible,” according to Thomas. "The baseline MTV platform has been configured in 17 different variants ranging from the GTT to water and fuel tankers and recovery vehicles. This provides tremendous flexibility, commonality and supportability for the Afghan and Iraqi forces operating them.”

 

In late August 2015, the U.S. Army Contracting Command awarded Navistar Defense a $369 million contract to provide 2,293 Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTVs) to build upon the already existing Afghanistan National Security Force's (ANSF) MTV Fleet. Production will commence immediately, with deliveries starting in January 2016 and concluding in 2019.

 

A total of 17,000 MTVs are in service in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

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6 juillet 2015 1 06 /07 /juillet /2015 16:30
Sufa - Storm Mk.III

Sufa - Storm Mk.III

 

June 25, 2015: Strategy Page

 

 An Israeli armor brigade recently discovered that the U.S. hummer (Hmmwv) was superior to tracked armored personnel carriers (APCs) when it came to performing reconnaissance outside of urban areas. The hummers were faster and more maneuverable, and also required less maintenance and fuel. Normally Israel builds its own military wheeled vehicles, but in 2012 Israel bought 2,500 slightly used hummer (HMMWV or Humvee) vehicles from the United States. Most were placed in reserve, to be used in wartime, or a major military emergency. But commanders were told they could have some for experimenting and thus the recon company of one armor brigade got to try some out.

 

Aside from getting these hummers cheap, Israel also has need for these larger (than Israel's standard motor vehicle of the same type) vehicles. For one thing, a hummer can carry more and be used as a mobile command post, or carrier of heavy weapons or bulky electronics. The hummer can also be equipped with armor. An Israeli firm developed and makes some of the most popular hummer armor kits, and sold a lot of them to the United States for use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Normally, the Israeli ground forces uses the Sufa (Storm) all-terrain vehicles. These are two ton, militarized versions of the Chrysler Jeep Wrangler. Sufa 1 appeared in 1990, with Sufa 2 showing up in 2005, and Sufa 3 in 2011. There are several versions (command, recon, armored) and the design has been optimized to deal with all the unique types of off road terrain encountered in Israel.

 

While smaller than the American Hummer, the Sufa is more suitable to Israeli needs (which largely consist of policing hostile Palestinians). The Sufa 3 is 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) long and 1.68 meters (5.5 feet) wide. In contrast the heavier hummer is 4.6 meters (15 feet) long and 2.1 meters (7.1 feet) wide.

 

The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, and the wide use of larger MRAP armored vehicles in Afghanistan left the U.S. with a lot of relatively new and little used hummers, even after many had been used to equip Iraqi and Afghan forces.

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27 mars 2015 5 27 /03 /mars /2015 12:20
Mine-resistant, ambush-protected recovery vehicles key in mission

 

March 26th, 2015 By Army News Service - DefenceTalk

 

Army Field Support Battalion-Afghanistan, or AFSBn-AFG, is in the early stages of a mission that will result in 94 mine-resistant, ambush-protected, or MRAP recovery vehicles being available to support future coalition missions.

 

The battalion received an order from Department of Army G-4 directing them to notify U.S. Forces Afghanistan of how many MRAP recovery vehicles, or MRVs, were available to support this mission as well as the condition of the vehicles.

 

“Fourth RSSB [Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade] asked the battalion to tell them how many vehicles we could find that were not matched to a requirement,” said Daniel Benz, AFSBn-AFG support operations. “We found 94 vehicles. Since we’re tasked to send them to Kuwait for staging, we’ve been calling the mission ‘Kuwait 94′.”

 

“They are stripped-down and shipped as-is,” said Mark Grant, AFSBn-AFG support operations. “The only work done is to ensure that they were air worthy for the flight to Kuwait.”

 

Grant said the stripped-down condition meant the vehicles were in the most basic configuration without any communications or other government furnished equipment.

 

The battalion received an order to begin assembling the vehicles in mid-February and the first ones were loaded onto aircraft March 4.

 

Grant said some vehicles were sourced in Kandahar at the battalion’s logistics task force, but most will be coming from Bagram. There needed to be an even number of trucks so the aircraft would be fully utilized, he said.

 

Actual driving – really backing – the vehicles onto the aircraft fell to Soldiers identified as ‘over the horizon’ drivers. These Soldiers are assigned to the 21st Inland Cargo Transfer Co. from Joint Base Lewis-McChord or the 32nd Transportation Co. from Fort Carson, Colorado. They originally deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, with the 529th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, a Virginia National Guard unit.

 

When AFSBn-AFG identified a capability gap for experienced military drivers, these Soldiers answered the call with some deployed to Bagram and some deployed to Kandahar.

 

“Our team was put together because we are the best of the best,” said Staff Sgt. Alan Alcaraz, an 88 H cargo specialist from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. “Our exact mission is to help battalion with driving all the vehicles on to the aircraft. Basically any type of rolling stock we drive on to the flight line and then on to the plane.”

 

“Backing a MRV onto a plane is hard,” Carrillo said. “Actually, more like very interesting.”

 

Carrillo and Brown had to rely on each other to act as ground guides and help ensure they were correctly aligned with the aircraft.

 

“The best part of my job is driving all the different kinds of vehicles the Army provides,” Brown said.

 

Their training and skills paid off as they both successfully backed a 34-foot-long, 52,000-pound vehicle onto an aircraft on the first try.

 

Alcazar said the team consists of experienced material handling equipment operators and truck drivers, who were selected because they are all ‘go-getters,’ who make up a self-sufficient team who can ‘make anything happen and … don’t take “no” for an answer.’

 

He also said many of the Soldiers have multiple deployments. In addition to the flightline duties, the Soldiers have been operating material handling equipment, driving other vehicles for battalion missions and acting as additional security for missions to title transfer equipment to Afghan National Defense Security Forces.

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11 mars 2015 3 11 /03 /mars /2015 08:35
MRAP HIGUARD - Renault Trucks Defense

MRAP HIGUARD - Renault Trucks Defense

Le MRAP HIGUARD de Renault Trucks Defense pourrait-il être vendu à Singapour?

 

10 mars, 2015 Pierre Brassart (FOB)

 

La France est, depuis plus de vingt ans, un important fournisseur d’armes pour la république de Singapour. Que ce soit pour les hélicoptères (Cougar, Fennec,…), les blindés (AMX-10P), les missiles (Milan, Mistral, Aster), les frégates (classe Formidable, dérivée des La Fayette), la France est toujours présente. Et, qui sait, peut-être qu’une nouvelle vente se profile à l’horizon…

 

Le ministère de la défense singapourien a publié début mars un document concernant le futur de son armée, tant en ce qui concerne la marine que l’aviation ou l’armée de terre.  On y parle notamment, pour le volet terrestre, du remplacement de véhicules blindés V200 dans le cadre du programme PRV (Protected Response Vehicle). Or, sur plusieurs sites internet spécialisés, ainsi que sur le site du journal singapourien Today, une photo montrant un véhicule de Renault Trucks Defense, le MRAP Higuard, est apparue.

 

La République de Singapour pourrait-elle être le deuxième client export pour le Higuard après le Qatar ?

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26 février 2015 4 26 /02 /février /2015 17:50
Polish Special Forces MRAP Vehicles Photo ppłk Artur Goławski

Polish Special Forces MRAP Vehicles Photo ppłk Artur Goławski

 

26 February by Jakub Palowski - defence24.pl

 

45 mine-resistant MRAP M-ATV vehicles, supplied by the US, were handed-off for the Polish Special Forces in Cracow.

 

The Polish Special Forces received 45 M-ATV vehicles. The hand-off ceremony took place in Cracow and the US Ambassador in Poland Stephen D. Mull participated in that event. Delivery of the MRAP vehicles is being carried out within the framework of the Excess Defense Articles programme, the standard way that the U.S. military gives leftover equipment to allies. Earlier Poland had received Oliver Hazard Perry vessels or C-130 Hercules transport planes in that way.

 

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15 février 2015 7 15 /02 /février /2015 12:45
U.S. Army M-ATV

U.S. Army M-ATV

 

February 11, 2015: Strategy page

 

The United States is providing the 21,000 AU (African Union) peacekeepers in Somalia with twenty MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles to provide peacekeepers with additional protection while patrolling areas where mines and roadside bombs are still a problem. These MRAPs will replace older (late 1980s vintage) and lighter Casspir vehicles. These are from South Africa which is where the modern MRAP design was invented and for over a decade Casspir vehicles were among the best MRAP type vehicles you could get.

 

The U.S. is apparently providing a much newer design, the M-ATV (MRAP-All Terrain Vehicle) to the Somalia peacekeepers. These are refurbished after service in Afghanistan and more can be sent if needed. M-ATV is a 15 ton, 4x4 (with independent wheel suspension) armored vehicle. Payload is 1.8 tons, and it can carry five passengers (including a gunner). Top speed is 105 kilometers an hour, and road range on internal fuel is 515 kilometers. The M-ATV is slightly larger than a hummer. An M-ATV costs about $800,000, not including transportation. It cost about $150,000 each to fly one into Afghanistan.

 

The M-ATV design was heavily influenced by earlier American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. This includes much better off road capabilities. After 2009 several thousand M-ATVs were sent to Afghanistan and troops found that the M-ATV can safely handle a lot of cross country travel that would be dangerous for a conventional MRAP. But, like taking a tracked vehicle (like a tank) off road, you can't just drive it anywhere. Even a tracked vehicle will flip, or lose a track (hit an obstacle that will tear the tracks from the wheels) if you don't drive carefully. Same deal with the M-ATV. Off the road, this is a more stable and forgiving MRAP, and commanders are coming up with new tactics to take advantage of it. The enemy can no longer assume all MRAPs will stay on the road.

 

The M-ATV design improved on the fact that all other MRAPs were, after all, just heavy trucks. The basic MRAP capsule design produces a high center of gravity that makes the vehicles prone to flipping over easily. They are also large vehicles, causing maneuverability problems when going through narrow streets. Most MRAPs don't have a lot of torque, being somewhat underpowered for their size. And, being wheeled vehicles, they are not very good at cross country movement (especially considering the high center of gravity.) The M-ATV was designed to deal with all of these problems.

 

The rush to get MRAPs to Afghanistan is all about reducing casualties. Anyone in these vehicles is much less likely to be killed by a roadside bomb. The math is simple. If all the troops who encountered these bombs were in a MRAP, casualties would be about 65 percent less. About two-thirds of all casualties in Afghanistan are from roadside bombs. Thus these vehicles reduced overall casualties by about a third.

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30 janvier 2015 5 30 /01 /janvier /2015 12:30
Security Assistance Enterprise Delivers Vehicles to Iraq

 

 

Jan 30, 2015 ASDNews Source : US Army

 

The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, also known as USASAC, has implemented and completed a case for delivery of 250 Mine Resistant Armor Protected, or MRAP, vehicles to the Iraqi government.

This complicated and monumental task was achieved in less than 90 days by USASAC and its security assistance enterprise partners, Dec. 23.

 

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27 juin 2014 5 27 /06 /juin /2014 07:45
Growing African armoured vehicles market worth $1.2 billion by 2024

 

 

26 June 2014 by defenceWeb

 

The demand for armoured and counter-IED vehicles in Africa is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2024 as the market shifts to North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, according to a new report.

 

The Global Armoured and Counter IED Vehicles Market 2014-2024 report said that budget cuts in Europe and the United States and the withdrawal of the US and its allies from Iraq and Afghanistan have shifted the market to the Middle East and Asia. The report predicted that the global armoured and counter IED vehicles market is expected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.33% during 2014-2024.

 

The Asia Pacific followed by North America are expected to be the largest armoured and counter IED vehicle markets with cumulative market share of more than 55%. Demand for mine-resistant, ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles from the Middle East is expected to be robust due to security concerns in the region. Saudi Arabia and Israel are expected to lead the armoured and counter IED vehicles market in the Middle East.

 

The establishment of production facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Algeria will further boost the armoured vehicles market in the region, especially as these countries export to their neighbours.

 

In Africa, security threats are increasing the defence budgets of African countries, especially the growing threat of Islamist militants. Despite limited budgets, a number of modernisation programmes and procurement initiatives are valued continent-wide at up to $20 billion over the next decade for armoured and tactical vehicles alone, according to forecasts at the Armoured Vehicles Africa conference in July 2013.

 

The conference predicted that of the $20 billion to be spent in Africa by 2023, Algeria will account for most spending. The country is buying around 1 200 Fuchs APCs from Germany, which will assemble them in the North African nation. Algeria is also jointly producing the NIMR vehicle in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates and recently ordered more than 300 T-90 tanks from Russia.

 

Algeria’s neighbour Morocco is also upgrading its armour, having recently received 88 BearCat APCs. Libya, slowly rebuilding its armed forces, recently ordered 350 BRDM wheeled reconnaissance vehicles and BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles.

 

Nigeria is a large market for armoured vehicles and is procuring many diverse types, from China and the West and has unveiled its own indigenously produced APC as well.

 

Some of the big spenders identified by the conference include Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, although North Africa is the biggest market. An indication of the state of the market came earlier this month when Streit Group signed a deal for 480 armoured vehicles with a North African country.

 

Due to the Badger infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) programme in South Africa, which will see the delivery of 238 vehicles over ten years, the market for MRAPS is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% over the forecast period there. Projects Sapula and Vistula are also expected to contribute to market growth in South Africa (these projects will replace Pumas and Casspirs and acquire new trucks).

 

According to South African vehicle manufacturer BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa, the company is seeing new vehicle projects emerging with an uptick in business expected in 2016 in both police and military markets. Demand is expected to come mainly from Africa, the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe.

 

“A lot of African and European countries will, within the next few years, need to start replacing old and now obsolete armoured vehicles that are now 30 to 40 years old,” Land Systems South Africa business development and communications director Natasha Pheiffer told Engineering News recently.

 

South Africa, long regarded as a leader in armoured vehicle development, sold 452 new and refurbished armoured vehicles to 20 different countries in 2013 alone, in deals worth R2.421 billion.

 

Certain African countries face notable threats, including Mali, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan. Conflict in these countries has driven the armoured vehicles market and alkso resulted in international peacekeeping forces becoming involved and even supplying vehicles – for instance, the United States has arranged the supply of Puma vehicles to Mali.

 

Due to the growing demand in Africa, many foreign countries are offering their armoured vehicles to the continent, such as Russia, China, Italy, the UAE, Serbia and the Ukraine.

 

According to the Global Armoured and Counter IED Vehicles Market 2014-2024 report, infantry fighting vehicles are expected to dominate the wold armoured vehicles market with a share of 28.1% while the market for MRAPs will decline. The demand for Main Battle Tanks is projected to increase, with the market size of MBTs expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.18% during forecast period. Armoured Personnel Carriers are expected to record a marginal increase.

 

Peacekeeping missions, security threats, the rise in asymmetric warfare, international peacekeeping missions and modernization initiatives are expected to channel more funds towards the armoured vehicles market. However, challenges to the market include global budget cuts, the withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan by the United States and its allies and the high cost of high tech armour solutions. In addition, the increase in demand for refurbished vehicles poses a threat to new projects and unmanned systems are increasingly taking the place of manned armoured and counter-IED vehicles.

 

On the technology front, the report noted that hybrid engines are becoming increasingly popular while vehicle-mounted directed energy weapons, using laser beams, will be the new weapons for armoured vehicles, the report said. Other technological developments include E-Camouflage technology and active protection systems.

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25 juin 2014 3 25 /06 /juin /2014 17:20
Lenco completes BEAR vehicle blast testing

The BEAR vehicle offers protection against direct underbody blasts or close proximity mortar-round attacks. Photo Lenco Industries.

 

25 June 2014 army-technology.com

 

Lenco Industries has successfully completed the underbody and side-blast testing of its ballistic engineered armoured response (BEAR) troop transport vehicle at the US Army's Aberdeen Test Centre at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, US.

 

Based on a Freightliner truck chassis, the BEAR is a 17-man troop transport armoured vehicle, and is primarily designed for military and government personnel and international security forces operating in hostile environments.

 

The vehicle, which combines Lenco's proven Mil-Spec steel armour construction, with an additional composite B-Kit and engineering changes designed to deflect blast pressure, offers seating for 12 personnel on convoy missions, cargo and troop transport, as well as perimeter patrol and security missions.

 

Lenco vice-president Len Light said improvised explosive devices (IEDs) continue to be one of the most pressing concerns for military operatives and overseas diplomatic transport.

 

"We're proud to provide a blast-resistant vehicle that has proven to outperform its military counterparts in protection and survivability," Light said.

 

The vehicle's modified V-hull, which is modelled after the traditional mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, can withstand direct underbody blast and close proximity mortar-round attacks.

 

Additional key survivability features include blast seats, full fire suppression capabilities and run flat tyres, as well as a variety of communications and intelligence sensors, which will be made available based on customer requirements.

 

Available in either two or four-wheel drive, the BEAR is currently fielded overseas in hostile regions by the US Government convoy teams and diplomatic security details.

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12 avril 2014 6 12 /04 /avril /2014 11:50
MRAP - Foto MORH  T. Brandt

MRAP - Foto MORH T. Brandt

 

April 11, 2014 By Richard Tomkins  (UPI)

 

ZAGREB, Croatia-- More than two dozen U.S.-made armored vehicles are now operational with the Croatian military following their donation by the U.S. government.

 

The 30 vehicles are MaxxPro mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles by Navistar Defense.

 

The Croatian Ministry of Defense said the MRAPs are part of a larger donation of 212 armored vehicles and will be used for patrolling, convoy security, reconnaissance, medical evacuation and personnel transport.

 

"The MRAP vehicles will provide the ballistic and counter-mine protection to the members of the Croatian armed forces, enhancing operational safety and security of task performance and upgrading the existing capabilities, and thus enable the Croatian armed forces respond to new challenges and threats of the unforeseeable future," said Gen. Drago Lovrić, Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian armed forces.

 

"It (the donation) is another confirmation of the United States of America being the foremost strategic defense partner of the Republic of Croatia."

 

The MRAPs were officially taken over by the Croatian military on April 7, the Ministry of Defense said.

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3 avril 2014 4 03 /04 /avril /2014 07:35
Source: Pakistan Already Has US-Made MRAPs, New Deal in Works

Mine resistant ambush protected vehicles are loaded onto the USNS Pililaau in 2007 at the seaport of Charleston, S.C. (US Army)

 

Apr. 2, 2014 - By PAUL McLEARY  - Defense News

 

WASHINGTON — While controversy swirls over reports that Pakistan may receive some of the excess Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that the United States has sitting in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials are on the verge of completing a deal to send new and excess MRAPs to Islamabad, Defense News has learned.

The 160 vehicles, all of which would be the MaxxPro MRAP variant made by US manufacturer Navistar, would be a mix of new builds and some from US Army prepositioned stocks in Kuwait, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who is not authorized to speak for attribution.

While no formal notification of the deal has yet been sent to Congress since the last stages of the vetting process are still being completed, the official expected a notification to head to Capitol Hill by the end of this month.

The spat over the potential MRAP sale began in March when the Washington Post reported that the United States was considering giving Pakistan some MRAPs that the US didn’t want to pay to ship home once the mission in Afghanistan draws to a close. The report came at the same time as Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of the coalition and US Forces in Afghanistan, said there are more than 1,200 excess MRAPs in country.

For a while, US forces were literally shredding to bits the hulking MRAP infantry carriers that it doesn’t want to pay to bring home, but Dunford has since put a halt to that program while final decisions on the ultimate fate of the fleet are being made.

The holdup on the deal for the 160 MRAPs centers around a congressionally mandated human rights vetting process that all US foreign training and equipping programs must undergo.

Known as the “Leahey Amendment” after the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Patrick Leahey of Vermont, the law stipulates that US forces cannot train or equip foreign military or police units that have been accused of human rights abuses.

The 160 MRAPs would be split among the branches of the Pakistani armed forces. Although specific army and air force units have been identified and vetted, the Pakistani Navy has yet to submit all of the required information, according to the official.

While it hasn’t been reported previously, the Pakistani armed forces have already been supplied with 22 MRAPs — 20 MaxxPro’s along with two “haulers” to move them if damaged — under a now-canceled State Department program known as the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund. The vehicles were drawn out of the US Army’s existing stock in Kuwait.

The fund was axed in the US government’s fiscal 2014 budget.

The State Department and the US Embassy in Islamabad have been tying themselves in rhetorical knots over the past week trying to explain the situation over the potential MRAP transfer, all without giving specifics or mentioning the MRAPs already sent to Pakistan or the deal currently in the works.

On March 31, the Islamabad embassy issued a statement confirming that Pakistan has requested “a variety of Excess Defense Articles (EDA). The U.S. is currently reviewing Pakistan’s request.” In what appears to be a nod to the pending deal, the embassy added that “if approved, this EDA is likely to be sourced from U.S. stock outside Afghanistan.”

The State Department weighs EDA requests on a “case-by-case basis taking into consideration a range of factors including the need of potential recipients, regional security dynamics, how the recipient nations intend to use the equipment and the ability of an EDA recipient to sustain the equipment,” the embassy said. ■

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2 avril 2014 3 02 /04 /avril /2014 17:20
GD Wins $75M for Cougar Survivability Upgrade

April 1, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: General Dynamics Land Systems; issued April 1, 2014)

 

General Dynamics Awarded $75 Million for Cougar Survivability Upgrade Program

 

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. --- The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems – Force Protection a contract valued at $74.7 million for egress upgrade kits in support of the Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) program.

 

The company will develop, design and produce 916 egress kits for the Cougar vehicles. The kits will include upgrades to the Cougar's front doors, rear doors, rear steps and exhaust system. General Dynamics will complete delivery of the kits by September 2015.

 

General Dynamics Land Systems – Force Protection is part of General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics .

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2 avril 2014 3 02 /04 /avril /2014 11:35
Pakistan, Afghanistan, India Want Leftover US MRAPs

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are unloaded in 2009 from the MV Marilyn Vessel in the port of Antwerp, Belgium. (Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie/Army)

 

Apr. 1, 2014 - By JEFF SCHOGOL – Defense News


 

The US military has more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan that it can bring home — and Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are locked in a three-way competition for them, a former senior defense official said.

“Those people in US government who want to support the Pakistani counterinsurgency say we should give [MRAPs] to them; the people who are concerned about the future of Afghanistan, the people who are principally concerned about India say we shouldn’t give [MRAPs] to them,” said David Sedney. “What we’re actually going to do is not clear.”

MRAPs initially were fielded in Iraq to protect troops from roadside bombs after insurgents discovered that the undersides of up-armored Humvees were vulnerable to buried explosives.

Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates made building the MRAPs and getting the vehicles downrange a top priority, even though he understood the vehicles were designed for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, not necessarily in future conflicts, said Sedney, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia from 2009 to 2013.

Now the US military has thousands of MRAPs in Afghanistan that neither the Army nor Marine Corps want, Sedney said. Since the US government has considered MRAPs too sophisticated for the Afghan military to use, it has been shipping some vehicles back to the US while destroying others that have battle damage, Sedney told Military Times on Tuesday.

But some members of Congress have objected to destroying the costly vehicles, he said. Meanwhile, the companies that build MRAPs — and the lawmakers that represent states where the vehicles are built — want to encourage other countries to use MRAPs because building spare parts for the vehicles is a “lucrative business.”

Pakistan has said it wants a lot of MRAPs and some US government officials think the vehicles could help the Paksitanis fight their own insurgents, Sedney said.

“As soon as the Indians even got hint of this, they became upset because they said, ‘Hey look, these MRAPs, they’re of limited utility in the worst areas of Pakistan but they could be really useful in an offensive action [by Pakistan] against India,’” Sedney said. “The Indian government started lobbying against MRAPs to Pakistan.”

Afghan officials also were concerned that the Pakistanis could use MRAPs against them, and Afghan military leaders felt many of their troops who were killed by roadside bombs in 2013 could have survived if they had been in MRAPs, he said.

“The Afghans realized that and they said, ‘Wait a second ... you’re saying that we have to absorb much higher casualties than you ever were willing to? Why don’t you give us the MRAPS?’ But of course, they didn’t have the money.”

Last week, US Forces Afghanistan issued a statement that it has no plans to provide Pakistan with excess MRAPs used in Afghanistan. The US Embassy in Pakistan then issued a statement on Monday saying the US government is considering Pakistan’s request for excess military equipment.

That prompted the State Department to release a statement on Monday clarifying that while the US government is considering giving military equipment to Pakistan, none of it would come directly from Afghanistan.

“To be clear, the United States has not refused Pakistan’s request regarding EDA [excess defense articles] sourced from the worldwide pool (to include any request that might involve MRAPs),” according to the statement. “The United States continues to assist Pakistan through many security cooperation programs to build partnership capacity, including through the provision of worldwide available EDA.

“US military equipment leaving overland from Afghanistan through Pakistan or via the Northern Distribution Network is part of the overall process of removing equipment as our forces draw down in Afghanistan. We have not and do not intend to transfer this equipment to the governments neighboring Afghanistan.”

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1 avril 2014 2 01 /04 /avril /2014 16:25
Armor: MRAP Lite For Colombia

 

March 24, 2014 Strategy Page
 

The Colombian Army recently began receiving the 28 Commando wheeled armored vehicles ordered from the United States (for $1.13 million each) in 2013. The Commando is a larger version of the older American M1117 ASVs (Armored Security Vehicles). All of the armored vehicles in the Colombian Army are on wheels, to better control the roads in areas where FARC or drug gangs are active. The army has about 300 armored vehicles, a growing number of them armored hummers. Colombian troops have found the Commando handles most of the bombs and weapons used by the local drug gangs and leftist rebels.

Back in 2009 Colombia bought its first 39 American Commando vehicles, which is officially known as the ICV (Infantry Carrier Variant) of the M1117. The ICV is 61 cm (24 inches) longer than the original ASV, weighs 18 tons, and carries a crew of 3 and 8 passengers. Instead of the turret it has a cupola mounting a 12.7mm machine-gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

The original ASV was, in effect, one of the first MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) to get to Iraq. Originally developed in the 1990s for use by MPs (Military Police) in combat zones, only a few were bought initially. It was found that for 1990s era Balkan peacekeeping, existing armored vehicles were adequate and that in the narrow streets of Balkan towns the ASV was too wide to be very maneuverable. Then came Iraq, and suddenly the ASV was very popular. The army got a lot more because military police like these vehicles a lot. The MPs originally wanted 2,000 ASVs but before Iraq were told they would be lucky to get a hundred. After 2003, the MPs got all they wanted. Colombia noted the ASV success in Iraq and got some of their own.

The basic ASV is a 15 ton 4x4 armored car that is built to handle the kind of combat damage encountered in Iraq. The ASVs are, unlike armored hummers, built from the ground up as armored trucks. Basic ASVs are 6.1 meters (20 feet) long and 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wide, making them a bit larger than hummers. The ASV is heavy enough to survive most roadside bombs and keep going. The ASV is bullet and RPG proof. The turret is the same one used on the U.S. Marine Corps LAV. When the marines went shopping for armored trucks, however, they passed on the ASV. This is believed to be mainly because most armored trucks have more room inside. The ASV carries a crew of 3, with plenty of room for additional gear but not a lot of people. That's why the stretched ICV version was developed. Iraq has also bought the ICV version.

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1 avril 2014 2 01 /04 /avril /2014 07:20
Dunford: US Will Not Give Pakistan MRAPs From Afghanistan

 

Mar. 28, 2014 - By JEFF SCHOGOL  - Defense News

 

The US military is disputing media reports that it plans to give Pakistan excess American military equipment that is currently in Afghanistan.

 

“Our commitment to the Afghan people and the Afghan National Security Forces is unwavering,” Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of all US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, said in a statement Thursday.

 

The Washington Post first reported in a March 16 web story that the US military was considering giving the Pakistanis $7 billion worth of equipment amid the drawdown in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has expressed interest in getting Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, which have been proven to be too big and heavy to operate effectively in Afghanistan, which lacks road infrastructure.

 

The story came shortly after Dunford had testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US military was considering whether to repair damaged MRAPs in Afghanistan in order to give them to someone else.

 

“We're in the process right now of seeing if there are any of our allies that can use those vehicles,” Dunford said at the March 12 hearing. “The services are also going back to review those requirements. I've put a stop on any destruction of any vehicles except those that are battle-damaged.”

 

But US Forces-Afghanistan issued a statement on Thursday calling media reports that it was considering sending military equipment to Pakistan “inaccurate.”

 

“USFOR-A does not provide or intend to provide any such equipment, including MRAPs, from Afghanistan to Pakistan,” the statement says.

 

When asked about the statement by Military Times, a spokeswoman for the Washington Post said the newspaper stands by its story.

 

“We reported accurately on March 17 that discussions about a possible equipment transfer to Pakistan had been going on for months and that no final decisions had been made,” the spokeswoman said in an email. “We have taken note of the March 27 statement from US Forces Afghanistan.”

 

The story caused more strain on the US military’s relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose spokesman said Afghanistan would oppose any move to give excess MRAPs to Pakistan.

 

“Afghan security forces need this type of equipment and as a strategic partner, the US needs to consult with Afghanistan before making such a decision,” Emal Faizi told Voice of America for a March 18 story.

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26 mars 2014 3 26 /03 /mars /2014 12:30
New batch of Kirpi 4×4 highly-protected vehicles delivered to Turkish Land Forces

 

03/25/2014 By VMSB

 

The Turkish Land Forces Command received a new batch of Kirpi 4×4 highly-protected vehicles after a delay due to major financial problems at the local manufacturer BMC Sanayi ve Ticaret.

 

About 600 of the wheeled vehicle were purchased by the Turkish military procurement agency SSM (Savunma Sanayii Müsteşarlığı) in two separate contracts.

 

Kirpi has been extensively used in operations against the PKK terrorist organization over the region of Kurdistan. It features a monocoque chassis powered by a Cummins ISLe+ diesel engine with 350 hp, which is coupled to an automatic transmission by Allison Transmission.

 

The vehicle is outfitted out with a protected manned weapon station and government furnished equipment such as tactical radios from Aselsan.

 

The company also has developed a 6×6 variant of Kirpi design.

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8 janvier 2014 3 08 /01 /janvier /2014 08:20
Le Pentagone invente le véhicule blindé jetable.

Le MRAP est conçu pour protéger ses occupants des explosions de mines, ce qui en fait un véhicule très lourd...

 

6 janvier, 2014 Frédéric Lert (FOB)

 

En 2004, le Pentagone lançait le développement et la fabrication d’une large famille de camions blindés résistant aux mines : les MRAP. En moins de dix ans, 27.000 ont été fabriqués, pour la modeste somme de cinquante MILLIARDS de dollars… Ces véhicules ont depuis été crédités de plusieurs dizaines de milliers de vies sauvées en Afghanistan et en Irak.

 

Maintenant que le retrait d’Irak est consommé et celui d’Afghanistan bien engagé, que faire de cette montagne d’acier (plus de 400.000 tonnes de ferraille si l’on compte une moyenne de 16 tonnes par MRAP…) ?

 

Le Pentagone a tranché : sans réelle utilité en dehors du champ de bataille pour lequel ils ont été conçus, la moitié des MRAP fabriqués, environ 13000 véhicules, sera tout bonnement ferraillée, après seulement cinq ou six ans de service. Les véhicules coûteraient trop chers à ramener aux Etats-Unis puis à réparer et à entretenir. C’est une exercice de comptabilité assez simple : le coût du démantèlement d’un MRAP en Afghanistan est estimé à 12.000 $. Il en faudrait vingt fois plus pour rapatrier ce même camion et le remettre à neuf pour lui faire commencer une deuxième vie.

 

Déjà plus de 2000 véhicules sévèrement endommagés ou usés ont connu la torche des ferrailleurs afghans.

 

Le plus délicieux dans cette affaire est que les MRAP encore en bon état ne peuvent pas être donnés aux Afghans car ils sont jugés trop complexes à entretenir, avec trop d’électronique à bord. Les Afghans s’en moquent un peu d’ailleurs, puisqu’ils vont mettre la main sur des montagnes de climatiseurs, de Hummer, de pick-up et autres scoubidous kakis… La vente ou la cession de MRAP à des pays amis un peu plus évolués n’a pas non plus attiré les foules, avec moins de 400 véhicules cédés à ce jour. Car le problème reste bien de faire sortir les camions d’Afghanistan, avec les aléas de la route pakistanaise ou le coût prohibitif du transport par air.

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16 décembre 2013 1 16 /12 /décembre /2013 12:45
Vente d’armement : Washington dit oui à l’Algérie

 

 

15.12.13 Zine Cherfaoui - elwatan.com

 

Une nouvelle ère semble s’ouvrir pour les relations militaires entre l’Algérie et les Etats-Unis. Après avoir longtemps opposé une fin de non-recevoir à la vente de matériel militaire à l’Armée nationale populaire (ANP), les responsables américains ont récemment décidé de répondre favorablement, du moins partiellement, au carnet de commandes qui leur a été soumis par le ministère algérien de la Défense.

 

Stuttgart (Allemagne). - L’accord de Washington est néanmoins assorti d’une condition. Les autorités américaines ont, selon une source du Commandement des forces américaines pour l’Afrique (Africom), exigé à ce que le matériel militaire appelé à être vendu à l’ANP ne profite pas ou ne soit cédé à un pays tiers, surtout s’il ne s’agit pas d’un allié des Etats-Unis.

 

Le gouvernement algérien a, d’après la même source, accepté la clause en question. La balle est désormais dans le camp du Congrès américain qui doit statuer en dernier ressort sur le dossier. Mais eu égard au souhait insistant du département d’Etat et du Pentagone de nouer un partenariat militaire de premier plan avec Alger, il est peu probable que les membres du Congrès américain s’opposent à la transaction en cours, surtout lorsque l’on sait que la notion de «raison d’Etat» pèse beaucoup dans la prise de décision politique aux Etats-Unis. Ici, la raison d’Etat pourrait aisément se justifier par la lutte contre le terrorisme, un sujet dont Washington continue à  en faire son principal cheval de bataille. Il structure d’ailleurs sa politique étrangère. Il se trouve que dans ce domaine l’Algérie passe pour être l’un des plus importants remparts contre le fléau du terrorisme en Afrique. Et les Américains ont déclaré à maintes reprises vouloir l’aider. Lors d’une conférence-débat destinée à vulgariser les activités de l’armée américaine en Afrique, organisée vendredi au quartier général de l’Africom à Stuttgart (Allemagne), le commandant-adjoint chargé des opérations au sein du commandement des Etats-Unis pour l’Afrique, le général de corps d’armée Steven Hummer, a révélé que Washington a accepté, entre autres, de vendre des véhicules militaires de type MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected). Il s’agit d’une famille de véhicules blindés conçus pour résister aux engins explosifs improvisés (EEI) et aux embuscades. Le général de corps d’armée, Steven Hummer, auquel il n’a pas été facile d’«arracher» l’information s’est refusé à donner davantage de détails sur la nature du matériel demandé par l’Algérie, tout comme cela a été le cas, d’ailleurs, du commandant en chef de l’Africom, le général de corps d’armée David M. Rodriguez.

 

Synergies régionales

 

Les deux hauts responsables militaires américains ont, par contre, insisté sur l’idée que l’Africom est disposé à aider tous les pays africains qui en feront expressément la demande, à l’exception de quelques pays, dont l’Erythrée et la Guinée équatoriale. L’offre concerne bien évidemment l’Algérie, un pays que les stratèges de l’Africom ont placé dans la case «Leader régional dans la lutte contre le terrorisme». Bien que, selon les dires des experts militaires américains, la relation entre l’Algérie et l’Africom est relativement «nouvelle» ou «récente» (La coopération avec le Pentagone est plus ancienne, ndlr), il n’empêche que celle-ci a progressé assez rapidement.

 

La coopération sécuritaire entre les deux parties a connu l’un de ses points d’orgue durant l’attaque terroriste menée en janvier dernier par le groupe de Mokhtar Belmokhtar contre le complexe gazier de Tiguentourine, dans le Sud-Est algérien. Une source de l’Africom haut placée a fait savoir, à ce propos, que le gouvernement américain n’a ménagé aucun effort pour aider les services algériens de sécurité à «traiter le problème». «Les Algériens nous ont fait leur demande et nous avons tout accepté. Ne me dites pas de donner des détails car je ne dirai rien de plus», a affirmé notre source.  Comme on peut s’en douter, l’assistance militaire américaine aux pays africains (formation de militaires, professionnalisation des armées, équipement, échange de renseignements, reconnaissance et initiation au contre-terrorisme, à la lutte contre la piraterie, etc.) a une contrepartie. Dans le cas de l’Algérie, Washington aimerait surtout voir nos experts «exporter» leur savoir-faire en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme et participer ainsi à la stabilité du continent. Pour le commandement de l’Africom, «l’Algérie n’a en effet pas besoin d’aide et dispose d’une bonne armée». Et ces atouts, selon la même source, prédestinent l’ANP à jouer un rôle de premier plan dans la promotion et la préservation de la paix sur le continent.

 

Le Département d’état joue cartes sur table

 

Des déclarations des chefs de l’Africom, il ressort aussi que les Américains verraient, par exemple, d’un bon œil une coopération soutenue entre l’Algérie et la Mauritanie dont l’engagement dans la lutte contre AQMI ne souffre aucune équivoque. Pour remporter la guerre contre le terrorisme en Afrique, l’idéal pour le commandant de l’Africom, le général de corps d’armée David M. Rodriguez, il serait judicieux  que les pays de chaque région du continent développent des synergies, surtout que la menace est transnationale. Si la situation au Mali, en Centrafrique et dans le golfe de Guinée particulièrement accapare actuellement l’essentiel du temps des chefs de l’Africom, il apparaît que ceux-ci sont également très soucieux de soigner l’image de leur organisation auprès des opinions africaines qui restent globalement méfiantes vis-à-vis de l’intérêt subit porté par les Etats-Unis à l’Afrique. De ce côté-là, les décideurs à Washington paraissent avoir choisi de jouer cartes sur table avec les journalistes africains qu’ils invitent aussi souvent que possible à Stuttgart. L’Administration américaine ne cache ainsi pas du tout que la création de l’Africom en 2007 (la force est évaluée à près de 4000 hommes) répond, avant tout, à son souci de protéger ses intérêts sur le continent.

 

Grosso modo, le travail de ce nouveau commandement consiste à sécuriser les voies d’accès aux matières premières nécessaires au fonctionnement de l’économie américaine et mondiale. Pour que le business marche et que les économies tournent, il faut en effet un continent stable et que la violence ou le terrorisme soient réduits à des niveaux maîtrisables. Mais en même temps, les Américains insistent sur le fait qu’ils préféreraient n’avoir à jouer qu’un rôle d’appoint et, surtout, que ce soit les Africains qui veillent eux-mêmes à la sécurité de l’Afrique. Bref, pour l’Africom, il faut des solutions africaines aux problèmes de l’Afrique. A l’occasion, le patron de l’Africom — qui doit effectuer une visite en Algérie au début de l’année prochaine — a assuré que les Etats-Unis n’ont pas l’intention de créer de nouvelles bases militaires en Afrique… et encore moins de délocaliser le QG de l’Africom. Ces professions de foi suffiront-elles à mettre en confiance les Africains ? La confiance, voilà une bataille aussi difficile sinon plus difficile que la guerre contre le terrorisme. Et que l’on ne vienne pas nous dire pourquoi !   

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4 décembre 2013 3 04 /12 /décembre /2013 19:35
The US is attempting to sell a portion of the MRAPS it has in Afghanistan. (US Army)

The US is attempting to sell a portion of the MRAPS it has in Afghanistan. (US Army)

 

 

Dec. 4, 2013 - By PAUL McLEARY – Defense news

 

WASHINGTON — The US government is working to sell as many as 2,000 of its hulking mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles in Afghanistan instead of sending them home or destroying them in place — provided the foreign buyers pay to ship the trucks out of the country themselves.

 

The cost of shipping an MRAP back to the US and fixing it up runs the Pentagon about $250,000 to $300,000 per vehicle. With about 11,000 MRAPs in Afghanistan, bringing them all back home is too expensive to contemplate, according to Pentagon officials. Overall, the US military is destroying about $7 billion worth of material in Afghanistan as US troops head for the exits.

 

A Pentagon spokesman said that several foreign countries have expressed interest in buying the Afghan MRAPs but no final agreements have been signed.

 

In the end, the US Army plans to retain about 8,000 MRAPs after completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, a number that carries a substantial logistics and maintenance bill.

 

Between January 2013 and the end of December 2014, it’s estimated that it will cost between $5 billion and $7 billion to bring all US equipment out of Afghanistan, either by ground transport through Pakistan or by air through the Northern Distribution Network.

 

The ground route is the cheaper — if longer — option, though the US military stopped all cargo traffic out of Afghanistan on Dec. 3 due to security concerns.

 

The route, which winds through dangerous mountain territory in Pakistan, runs from Torkham Gate at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border down to the port in Karachi in Pakistan.

 

There have been days of protests led by Pakistani politicians protesting US drone strikes in their country, which worried US officials who feared the convoys would be attacked.

 

Pentagon officials said that they expect the roads to reopen soon, but couldn’t put a date on it

 

If the roads through Pakistan remain open, the final price tag should be closer to the lower number; if weather or another breakdown in the relationship with Pakistan closes the roads, the cost will go up, according to Pentagon officials.

 

Before the shutdown, things were picking up. In October, the US shipped out a record 33,000 tons of equipment from Afghanistan, with about 56 percent going by road through Pakistan, said Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesperson.

 

The NATO military command in Kabul also said the retrograde is proceeding as planned. US forces in the country continue to redeploy “in accordance with President Obama’s announced level of 34,000 troops in country by Feb. 1, 2014,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Ripley emailed. There are currently 46,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan.

 

However quickly or slowly the withdrawal proceeds, the Pentagon insists that it has plans to deal with it.

 

“When we started the retrograde we didn’t know what the final end state would be, so [a flexible end strength number] is more or less built into the plans we already have,” Wright said. The plans are “flexible enough to allow us to scale up or down” depending on the pace of the withdrawal and the potential size of an American and NATO follow-on force.

 

One of the most critical hubs in the Northern Distribution Network is the transit center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, which the Pentagon will shut down in July 2014 when its lease with the Kyrgyz government expires. Since the United States will still be flowing troops and equipment out of Afghanistan, the US and Romania signed a pact in October allowing the Pentagon to use the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase on the Black Sea instead of Manas.

 

The Kyrgyzstan operation has been a matter of dispute for years, with the Kyrgyz government announcing it would cease American operations there in 2009, until the US agreed to triple yearly payments to about $60 million.

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4 décembre 2013 3 04 /12 /décembre /2013 18:50
MaxxPro Plus with Frag Kit 6

MaxxPro Plus with Frag Kit 6

 

 

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Dec. 4 (UPI)

 

The United States has lent a dozen MaxxPro Plus Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles to Hungary for military training.

 

The MRAPS, manufactured by Navistar International, were used by the U.S. European Command and were delivered to the Hungarian armed forces by a U.S. Embassy official in Budapest late last month.

 

"Due to the significant deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan in 2010 the most modern assets capable to provide service members with the highest level of survivability had been requested from the U.S. government," Defense Minister Csaba Hende said at a handover ceremony. "In the areas of operations, Hungarian military personnel have been using similar vehicles for years and such assets have greatly contributed to the minimization of losses."

 

About 200 Hungarian troops are currently deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The MRAPs, which are used in Afghanistan, are needed for training of Hungarian personnel in their use.

 

The vehicles will be used at Hungary's Bakony Combat Training Center and the Szentendre NCO Academy.

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18 avril 2013 4 18 /04 /avril /2013 11:40
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5 juin 2012 2 05 /06 /juin /2012 16:41
Navistar Defense Awarded $59 Million For MRAP RPG Nets

 

June 5, 2012 defpro.com

 

LISLE, Ill. | Navistar Defense, LLC on Monday received a contract for $59 million to deliver 1,357 rocket propelled grenade (RPG) net kits for International MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) units in Afghanistan. The order from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command is considered an urgent buy.

 

RPG nets provide additional protection against the anti-tank weapon of the same name. Navistar previously fielded 970 RPG net kits for the MaxxPro family of vehicles to support Afghan operations. The new kits will be fitted onto MaxxPro units operating in theater. Delivery is scheduled to begin in August 2012 and be completed by the December 2012.

 

"Five years ago, almost to the day, we received our first MaxxPro contract to support the urgent operational need in Iraq," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "We always strive to anticipate the needs of our warfighters and deliver on all contracts with the same urgency asked of us in 2007. We are proud to provide integrated solutions, such as the RPG nets, to our Armed Forces and we will continue to develop new solutions to meet the changing needs of the warfighter."

 

Navistar has fielded nine major MRAP variants during the last five years including the MaxxPro Dash Ambulance and the MaxxPro Recovery Vehicle. Earlier this year, the company retrofitted existing vehicles with a rolling chassis to upgrade and ready the fleet for future missions. Navistar is also currently competing for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 and Standard Military Pattern (SMP) programs with new vehicle solutions. These new platforms were developed by leveraging and combining current assets of Navistar and our partners to create cost effective, robust and mature solutions that are available today.

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4 juin 2012 1 04 /06 /juin /2012 16:45

 

 

Jun 4, 2012ASDNews Source : Navistar International Corp.

 

Navistar Defense, LLC today received a contract for $59 million to deliver 1,357 rocket propelled grenade (RPG) net kits for International® MaxxPro® Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) units in Afghanistan. The order from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command is considered an urgent buy.

 

RPG nets provide additional protection against the anti-tank weapon of the same name. Navistar previously fielded 970 RPG net kits for the MaxxPro family of vehicles to support Afghan operations. The new kits will be fitted onto MaxxPro units operating in theater.  Delivery is scheduled to begin in August 2012 and be completed by the December 2012.

 

"Five years ago, almost to the day, we received our first MaxxPro contract to support the urgent operational need in Iraq," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "We always strive to anticipate the needs of our warfighters and deliver on all contracts with the same urgency asked of us in 2007. We are proud to provide integrated solutions, such as the RPG nets, to our Armed Forces and we will continue to develop new solutions to meet the changing needs of the warfighter."

 

Navistar has fielded nine major MRAP variants during the last five years including the MaxxPro Dash Ambulance and the MaxxPro Recovery Vehicle. Earlier this year, the company retrofitted existing vehicles with a rolling chassis to upgrade and ready the fleet for future missions. Navistar is also currently competing for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1 and Standard Military Pattern (SMP) programs with new vehicle solutions.  These new platforms were developed by leveraging and combining current assets of Navistar and our partners to create cost effective, robust and mature solutions that are available today.

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11 avril 2012 3 11 /04 /avril /2012 16:40

M113-source-FOB.jpg

 

11.04.2012 par Frédéric Lert (FOB)

 

Le 24 avril prochain, l’US Army organise une journée d’information sur l’Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) au profit des industriels. L’occasion pour ceux-ci d’en apprendre un peu plus sur les besoins affichés par les militaires américains, avec en ligne de mire rien de moins que le remplacement des derniers M113 encore en service. Depuis 2007, l’US Army n’a plus investit sur ce véhicule dont elle pense aujourd’hui avoir épuisé toutes les possibilités de développement et de modernisation. Clairement, le M113 ne répond plus aux exigences actuelles en matière de mobilité et de protection. Son remplaçant devra équiper dans un premier temps 24 brigades à raison de 114 véhicules par unité. Si l’on ajoute quelques unités annexes, le besoin total serait un peu supérieur à 3000 véhicules. Le chiffre de 5000 engins in fine est parfois même évoqué. Ces blindés ne seraient d’ailleurs pas forcément dimensionnés pour le combat offensif, comme peuvent l’être les  Bradley. L’US Army envisage plutôt un rôle de véhicule utilitaire blindé du champ de bataille. Le choix entre la roue et la chenille n’est pas encore fait et la compétition à venir placera sans doute face aux intégrateurs traditionnels de véhicules blindés les fabricants de MRAP, ces derniers ayant eu le temps de se faire les dents tout au long des dix ans de conflit afghan.

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