What is it?

[reb87]

I was recently traveling with my m35 and spotted this awesome mv at a truck stop. My son had to run for the pic as the truck was leaving. What is it?
Ross/Nebraska

 

[SCSG-G4]

Mine resistant truck. Where have you been for the past couple of years? that's all the military would want to be using in Iraq. Pics i posted last week of the IHC are what the civilain contractors get (without armor). I forget wahat the acronym and military designation is for them.

 

[bbf]

oh i like that truck

 

[sprucemt]

MRAP

 

[netracer61]

That is one variant of an RG33.

 

[MyothersanM1]

Beefy! Nice

 

[RANDYDIRT]

I saw 2 of these on a truck around Little Rock the other day.

 

[crasheej]

I used to pick up fire truck chases at Charlotte,MI . All they got in there was the tube they pot all the rest to make a truck like that. They also built motorhome chase. Really something to see how they arw built from just a pile of steel and all ti a finshed truck,

 

[Engine5]

Its called an WDRV
Whitetail Deer Recovery Vehicle

 

[wolf-dose@t-online.de]

The first one is a historic picture. The actual version have a mine manipulating arm in front. The later is considered to be a competitor to the 6x4 Gator with higher speed and unfortunately higher ground pressure.
Wolf D.

 

[silverstate55]

It's an RG-33 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected)...quite possibly an RG33L. It doesn't have the add-on skirt armor to protect against EFPs, so it's not an RG33L Plus. It also comes in 4x4 (Category I MRAP), but these are reportedly used by US Army SF units. The 6x6 RG33s are Category II MRAP. A few are employed by the Marines, but the overwhelming bulk of the orders are used by the Army.

They are built under license by BAE Systems Ground Systems USA, based on an original South African design (the RG31 4x4, which also serves with the US Army, built by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada). The RG33 family is powered by a Cummins 8.9-litre ISL-400 turbodiesel, producing 400hp at 2200rpm.

According to Tankograd's American Special No. 3011 on MRAPs, the RG33s "are used for mounted patrols, convoy escort operations and troop transport purposes as well as transport for engineer and EOD assets" (Schulze, pg 39).

Hope this helps.

I'd love to own one of these!

 

[m1010plowboy]

Same truck?

Is this the same truck?

 

[Stan Leschert]

We use something very much like that. We call it a Buffalo. I know that USA has many more than we do, but as a Mine Resistant tactical vehicle, C/W agile picker for mine clearing, thereof.... Not bad! I think that this was based on a South African design (or whatever name they now have), as long as it keeps our guy safe, I LOVE IT! The smart guys who are still serving, know the proper name, I just want to see my friends come home. If that truck helps....

 

[J2H]

We call it a Buffalo too mostly, Stan

 

[silverstate55]

Is this the same truck?

NO. The following members got it right with the Buffalo MP/CV (Mine Protected/Clearance Vehicle). The Buffalo evolved from a South African design, and the prototype was built by Technical Solutions Group Incorporated, later acquired by Sonic Jet Performance Incorporated, and finally reorganized into Force Protection Industries Incorporated (current name). An initial batch of 10 Buffalo A1 MP/CVs was purchased by the US Army in September 2002, followed by an additional 77 vehicles under separate purchase contracts.

The Marines followed with orders for 4 initial Buffalo A1 MP/CVs in September 2005, expanded under MRAP purchase orders to accomodate 77 additional units.

In June 2008 the 200th Buffalo A1 MP/CV was delivered to the US military.

The Buffalo A2 MP/CV underwent testing in October 2008; it incorporated an improved robotic arm, a more powerful Caterpillar C13 engine and an advanced armor package to help protect occupants against EFPs & IEDs.

In January 2009 the final Buffalo procured by the Marines under their MRAP purchase program was delivered.

What I like best about this vehicle is that it is built in South Carolina by Americans, for Americans...Force Protection started out as a very small manufacturer, yet they were able to rapidly expand while still delivering quality vehicles to the US Military AND still provide fast, accurate R&D on improving their products. FPI also produces the Cougar 4x4 & 6x6 MRAPs to the US Military. Not only is FPI an American success story, but their dedication & quick turn-around times are saving countless American lives overseas.

 

[silverstate55]

I figured I'd split my posts to make them easier to read. What impresses me most about the MRAPs is how quickly they were developed & deployed to our troops. I served as a Marine tank crewman from 1985-92, and even during Desert Shield/Desert Storm we did not see the gear we really needed until well after we needed it. Luckily, we had added the applique armor packages to our M60A1 tanks a couple of years prior (1987-88 as I remember), but even that was a stop-gap measure at the time. And yes, we took these old beasts into clean-up duty behind the main advance into Kuwait, and I was discharged before getting the pleasure of being trained on the M1A1.

The Buffalo design was inspired by the OMC (Olifant Manufacturing Company, South Africa) CASSPIR mine-protected vehicle, which is pronounced "CASPER" like the cartoon ghost. If you've seen the movie "District 9" then you've seen the 4x4 version Casspir painted in the white MNU scheme.

The origins of the mine-protected vehicles are actually not even South African, even though they get most of the recent credit. The Casspir, Meerkat, RG31 and other designs were actually Rhodesian in origin. The Rhodesians designed and built very simple but effective MPVs to protect their troops against Russian and Chinese land mines laid by communist guerillas during their Bush Wars from 1967-1980 (ZIPRA in the north, based in Zambia; ZANLA in the south & east, based in Mozambique). Most were initially steel armored bodies mounted on commercial & military truck chassis, later they were entirely proprietary from the ground up. Unimogs were a popular base for armored body bolt-ons, especially with the Selous Scouts for their cross-border raids.

After the end of the war in 1980, many of these designs were packed up & moved with their builders to South Africa, to escape the coming reign of terror & exploitation by newly "elected" Zimbabwean president robert mugabe (still in power today). One of the first things he did as president was change the country's name from Rhodesia (in honor of founding colonist Cecil Rhodes) to Zimbabwe. After 1980, South Africa's "Bush Wars" heated up and the South African Defense Forces (SADF) found an immediate need for MPVs. The original Rhodesian designs were adapted, tweaked, refined and whatnot for use throughout southern Africa by the SADF. The RG31 & Casspir were extremely rugged, reliable, and effective designs that featured the V-shaped hull to deflect land mine blasts.

When the IEDs were first employed en-masse in Iraq against our troops, I lobbied long & hard to my congressmen to quickly acquire manufacturing licenses & rights for the RG31 & Casspir designs, and get them out to our troops as quickly as possible; meanwhile, more effective solutions could be researched. I don't know that my efforts had any effect, but it was relieving to see the military able to quickly respond & deploy MRAPs in large numbers.

I know many of the designs are not completely effective, especially against very large IEDs and some EFPs, but they are a HUGE step in the right direction...in the past, it would have taken 10-20 years to fully research, design, test, fund, and deploy a small number of MRAPs, as these vehicles have radically changed the thinking & tactics of the bean-counters and armchair warriors...you know, the ones who have all the say but take none of the risks.

God Bless our troops: veterans, currently serving, and future warriors! And THANK YOU to all who are serving & have served in the War On Terror; your hard work & sacrifices have kept this country safe since 9/11, and are deeply appreciated by a grateful nation.

 

[silverstate55]

We use something very much like that. We call it a Buffalo. I know that USA has many more than we do, but as a Mine Resistant tactical vehicle, C/W agile picker for mine clearing, thereof.... Not bad! I think that this was based on a South African design (or whatever name they now have), as long as it keeps our guy safe, I LOVE IT! The smart guys who are still serving, know the proper name, I just want to see my friends come home. If that truck helps....

Stan, you are correct! And just wanted you to know, that from my acquaintances who have returned from Afghanistan, our Canadian Allies have been doing some very good work & kicking some serious taliban butt over there! Thanks for your service & your willingness to help us in the WOT!