Defense Technology International - September 2007 - (Page 38) PATROL VEHICLES ARMORED SAFE HAVEN Afghanistan,” according to a report in Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper. With hostile forces acquiring deadlier explosive capabilities, countries involved in JORIS JANSSEN LOK •THE HAGUE military or peacekeeping operations—or a oadside explosives are among the MRAP program was announced last year. combination of both—are looking for vedeadliest weapons facing U.S. and Production and orders have ramped up faster hicles that will better protect their troops coalition forces in Iraq and Afghan- than suppliers and procurement officials ex- without restricting mobility. A number of vehicles are emerging to meet these needs. istan. The ubiquitous improvised explosive pected (see also DTI March, p. 25). Armed forces elsewhere have been develGermany’s GFF program is probably the device has killed and wounded thousands of soldiers in both theaters. The success of its oping such vehicles since at least 2004. Some best example of this effort in Europe. GFF low-tech lethality exposed a major vulner- nations (notably Israel and South Africa) have is an acronym for armored command and ability in operations and paved the way for lengthy experience in designing and building multipurpose vehicle. The German military introduction of more sophisticated weapons protected vehicles that are light and mobile, plans to acquire thousands of the vehicles like explosively formed penetrators, which yet protect riders from most land mines, over the next 10 years in a program valued at €3.5 billion ($4.7 billion). can destroy even heavily armored vehicles. IEDs and small-arms fire. The stakes are high for these programs, as Models are divided into four categories: Efforts to counter these threats is giving rise to one of the largest development and seen in the casualty figures from Iraq alone. the lightweight, 5.3-ton GFF 1; the 7.5-ton procurement efforts for land forces in years: According to one source, 1,582 of the 3,683 GFF 2; the 12.5-ton GFF 3; and the 25-ton heavily armored vehicles that are engineered U.S. combat deaths in Iraq through Aug. 7 GFF 4 all-terrain utility vehicle. The GFF 4 is designed to close the gap in the army’s to withstand roadside bombs, land mines were caused by IEDs—a 43% rate. Requirements are changing as attackers vehicle program between the GFF 3 and the and projectiles, and protect occupants from 33-ton Boxer 8 X 8 wheeled multipurpose armored vehicle produced by Artec, a GermanDutch consortium. According to data provided by manufacturer Rheinmetall Landsysteme, 1,223 Mungo vehicles from competitor Krauss-Maffei Wegmann will be procured for GFF 1 needs, along with 125 Wiesel 2 vehicles from Rheinmetall. A competition is underway for the supply of another 2,169 GFF 1 vehicles. Rheinmetall is offering the Gavial protected multipurpose 4 X 4 vehicle for this phase of the program. Gavial was developed in partnership with Panhard of France. The German military is extendNew versions of Rheinmetall’s Yak feature armor that combines blast ing field trials with two protoresistance with ballistic protection. types through the end of the serious injuries or death. At least a dozen develop more effective weapons. In July, year. One requirement is air mobility. “The countries are building or ordering vehicles, in what was described as one of the biggest Gavial can adjust its height to fit inside the or doing both. The value of all programs roadside blasts in Afghanistan, six Canadian army’s Sikorsky CH-53G transport helicopwill run well into the tens of billions of soldiers and their Afghan translator were ters as roll-on, roll-off cargo,” says Jurgen killed when a bomb destroyed an RG-31 Neidhardt, protected vehicles product mandollars. Perhaps the best known program is in the Nyala, a 7.28-ton, 4 X 4 wheeled vehicle ager at Rheinmetall Landsysteme in Kiel. U.S., where the Pentagon has authorized the developed in South Africa and built by BAE “It is also easily air-transportable in C-130, purchase of 22,000 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Land Systems. The Nyala is designed to resist C-160 or A400M transport aircraft, and can Ambush-Protected) vehicles through 2010 the simultaneous detonation of two anti-tank be carried externally as a sling load underthat will replace Humvees and lightly ar- mines, and has been regarded as the “least neath the CH-47 Chinook or the MV-22 mored trucks (DTI July/August, p. 23). The vulnerable of Canadian fighting vehicles in Osprey.” Europe responds to IED threat with blast-resistant vehicles R RHEINMETALL LANDSYSTEME 38 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2007 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mh/dti0806/index.php?startpage=23 http://www.aviationweek.com/dti
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