DoD to Buy New Interim Vehicles
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps plan to rapidly develop and buy a fleet of 7- to 10-ton vehicles intended to fend off increasingly frequent roadside bombs yet be more mobile than MRAPs, a senior Pentagon official said.
The 7-ton Cheetah vehicle from Force Protection is one candidate to become the interim vehicle. (Force Protection photo)
To be developed along the fast-track model used for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, the so-called interim vehicles will meet an urgent need in Afghanistan for tough transports that can go off-road, he said.
"We will replicate what we did with MRAP," in terms of speedy procurement, the senior official said.
Army, Marine Corps and Pentagon acquisition officials are eyeing potential candidates, including Oshkosh's Sandcat and Force Protection's 7-ton Cheetah vehicle. Pentagon acquisition chief John Young plans to meet with Army and Marine Corps vehicle programmers, after the military announces the winners of three development contracts for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) early next week.
The military may first buy 2,000 interim vehicles, and may ultimately field 5,000 interim vehicles or more to fill the void until the actual JLTV is ready around 2013.
"It does not surprise me that people are considering bridging strategies. The need is there now whether the JLTV technology is there or not," said Rickey Smith, director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center – Forward.
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