Baby MRAP article

[peecook]

FOXNews.com - Defense Department Designs 'Baby MRAP' for War in Afghanistan - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

 

[HardCorps79]

Ah- ya beat me to it! Here's a pic from the article. We had the regular MRAPs in Iraq and they were huge. Pretty comfortable seating, too. Of course, this was necessary as the suspension was pretty brutal. Supposedly the new "baby" has independent suspension and much better off-road capabilities.

 

[HardCorps79]

That paint job is giving me ideas for my M1009...

 

[Tanner]

Currently 5 candidates in running for testing / eval on M-ATV (MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle) program, or "MRAP-Lite" - this is a precurser to the JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) program.

MRAP - Gearing up for Rough Rides - M-ATV

'Tanner'

 

[TheRodge77]

I hope to good the guys replacing me over here in Afghaniland get the lites... the regulars dash's are way to heavy, get stuck, and can't traverse the terrain here.

 

[NFACliff]

I know I'm new here.... but good lord...

Every thread I open gives me the "warm fuzzies"

Cliff

 

[FireFighterHill]

Dont they all use the "TAK-4" suspension? I also found this interesting, according to the article:

Its equipment and capabilities are many:
• IED jammers
• V-shaped blast-dispersing monocoque hull
• Significantly increased power-to-weight ratio
• The ability to ford hard-bottom fresh water to depths of up to 5 feet. (M-ATV is not amphibious)
• Generate 10 kilowatts of vehicle host power and export an additional 20 kilowatts for mission equipment
• Turbo-charged diesel V8 engine
• Shorter wheelbase for improved cross-country mobility
• Lower center of gravity for increased maneuverability and to prevent rollovers
• Ergonomic steering angle to “drive like an SUV”
• “Runflat” tire system allowing the M-ATV to safely cruise at 30 mph on up to two flat tires

 

[feldmarshal]

A buddy of mine is back for a couple of weeks, cav unit . He says the mraps are great at ieds bot poor at rpgs to the windshied. He said he knows of one that went through re-active armor and windshield.

 

[FireFighterHill]

Just because it works on paper, doesnt mean it will work in the field. I think its ridicules that our soldiers end up having to modify there brand new equipment just to get it to do its job!

 

[tm america]

good to see them working on some new rides for our troops .maybe all those hwmmv s will be going on the gl for like 500-1000 sometime soon so can add one to my driveway

 

[tm america]

i agree the guys over here not being shot at should be testing them against everything and modding them so they dont need tweaked in the feild

 

[nkawtg]

I've read that the axles for the Oshkosh M-ATV are the same as the MTVR axles......That should be pretty stout for a comparatively small vehicle

 

[LOGANSTANFORTH]

Probably one of the best vehicles ever designed for the military, and can do twice what a HMMWV can and still weighs less in full battle rattle...Probably save more lives than anything else, and if the jamming systems are anything like they use here in Iraq...Hajji better start upping his game if he even wants to think about winning...

 

[B3.3T]

There is not and never will be a magic do-it-all vehicle. Even an M-1 can be blown off the road with a large enough IED (as with Merkavas in Israel), killing everyone inside. And unlike Iraq, a Road Turd will never win the fight. Some folks just don't seem to get it. You can't have it both ways.

 

[Tanner]

The jammers don't work as well as you'd like to think... and not to be a sad-sack, but a vast majority of equipment hits the field about 50% operational -

I've been supporting the def ind for a number of years now & hear the contractors complain about the equipment going over is semi-operational condition. Like, vehicles being fixed/completed en-route to the field of operation, then being removed from the plane/ship semi-operational.

Spoke with a close friend recently about the comm issues that they are having on a new piece of just deployed equipment - seems that no one took shielding of cables or connectors into consideration... and the comm gear is catching all sorts of static & noise from peripheral equipment - he calls it job security; I call it piss-poor design.

'T'

 

[CGarbee]

The March 2010 issue of Car and Driver has a road test of the Oshkosh M-ATV... They let the guys from the magazine play with one at Aberdeen... They liked it, they have several quotes from Marines in the field who like it...

In typical C&D fashion, they got excited about the cigarette lighter (power port) installed so that the guys could run ipods and such without having to splice the wiring harness...

0-60 in 32.8 sec
top speed 65mph
skidpad 0.46g

Oshkosh M-ATV - Specialty File - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

 

[LOGANSTANFORTH]

There is not and never will be a magic do-it-all vehicle. Even an M-1 can be blown off the road with a large enough IED (as with Merkavas in Israel), killing everyone inside. And unlike Iraq, a Road Turd will never win the fight. Some folks just don't seem to get it. You can't have it both ways.

I would rather get hit in one of these instead of a flat bottom HMMWV...


Where in SW Ohio if you dont mind me asking?

 

[shannondeese]

My company painted that rig for BAE. It was pretty cool they pay good too.

 

[Sgt Hulka]

I believe Oshkosh and their entry won the competitive bid...

 

[LOGANSTANFORTH]

I believe Oshkosh and their entry won the competitive bid...

They did, they are looking for FSR's for 215 a year...Mechanics are paying like 160 and up...I am trying to jump ship to them right now...