The US places yet another order for SA mine-resistSouth African armoured and mine-protected vehicle manufacturer BAE Systems Land Systems OMC has received a further order for its RG-31 mine-protected vehicles. The order is a follow-on acquisition by the US Department of Defence (DoD) in terms of its mine-resistant ambush- protected (Mrap) programme and is worth about $20-million.
https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/the-us-places-yet-another-order-for-south-african-mine-resistant-ambush-protected-vehicle-2010-08-03
Picture by: BAE Systems Land Systems OMC
An RG-31 with ISAS independent suspension
Strictly speaking, the contract is placed with General Dynamics Land Systems Canada (GDLS-C) as the prime contractor, and GDLS-C then orders the Mraps from Land Systems OMC. The vehicles are then delivered to GDLS-C, which fits them with the US-specific weapons and communications systems before handing them over to the customer.
Under this latest contract, the DoD will buy 27 more RG-31s, divided into six RG-31 Mk 5EM vehicles, with ISAS independent suspensions, and 21 RG-31 Mk 5 vehicles fitted with Oshkosh independent suspensions. All the vehicles will be delivered by April 2011.
It is not yet known to which branch of the US armed forces these new Mraps will be issued. The six RG-31 Mk 5EMs are to the same standard as the 250 ordered by the DoD for the US Marine Corps at the beginning of this year.
In total, the US has acquired more than 2 200 RG-31s, of which about 1 800 have been built in Land Systems OMC’s plant in Benoni, east of Johannesburg. To date, the Americans have acquired five main variants of the RG31, namely the Mk 3, Mk 5, Mk 5A, Mk 5E and the Mk 5EM.