By Jen DiMascio
The Army is expected to announce it will whittle the number of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle variants in its fleet from five to three.
The surviving vehicles include BAE SYSTEMS’ RG-33, Force Protection Inc.’s Cougar and the MaxxPro military vehicle made by International Military and Government LLC, according to informed sources.
The Caiman, another vehicle entry by BAE and its recently acquired Armor Holdings, is not expected to make the cut. The RG-31, a vehicle made by General Dynamics [GD] in Ontario, Canada, is also expected to lose out.
The Defense Department has asked for and received more than $5 billion to pay for an increase to its MRAP requirement. That funding came in a continuing resolution that expires in mid-November.
An additional $11.5 billion will be needed before the end of the year to fulfill military requirements. Before the Senate passed its fiscal year 2007 spending bill for the Defense Department, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, provided assurances that the money would be provided in a subsequent continuing resolution.