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.

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.

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 ?

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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 !   

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.

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.

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.