18 October 2008

An Interesting Take on MRAP's in Afghanistan

One of the things in big demand in Iraq were Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected vehicles (MRAP) to deal with road side bombs.

Well it appears that the experience with these vehicles in Afghanistan has been far less positive than in Iraq:
During my recent embed with Marines in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, the number one gear complaint was the MRAP: it was too wide for most roads, and the top-heavy vehicles were prone to rollover.
Iraq is, after all, a fairly flat country with an excellent road system, and Afghanistan is probably the opposite of this.

Given the high wheel loads and the top heavy nature of these vehicles this is to be expected.

MRAPs are not just a counterinsurgency specific system, they are a "counterinsurgency with good roads specific" system.

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