Defense analysts say more maneuverable MRAPs will help. But they caution that limitations will remain because of terrain with the kind of soft ground that can mire a heavy truck or tank.
"We are going to need lots and lots of these kinds of vehicles," said Dan Goure, vice president for national security studies at the Lexington Institute, a military research center in Arlington, Va.
"Having said that, let's be honest with ourselves. In many parts of the country, it is hard to operate anything heavier than a Toyota Land Cruiser pickup." And that pickup, he observed, is commonly used by Taliban fighters.
The MRAP dates to the late 1960s, when the armies of white-ruled South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) developed it to counter land mines laid by liberation fighters. The V-shaped hull deflects explosive force from occupants, and the wheels blow off rather than absorb a blast.
Bomb toll rising
The U.S. military bought small numbers of MRAPs between 2000 and 2005. But by late 2006, more and more service members in Iraq were being killed or maimed by roadside bombs, despite riding in armored Humvees. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made increasing the MRAP fleet his top priority and the Marine Corps was put in charge of scaling up quickly.
In a little over two years, nearly 15,000 MRAPs made by five manufacturers have been delivered, the military says. More than 9,500 of those have gone to Iraq. All told, the program has received $28.6 billion.
In June last year, USA Today reported an 88 percent drop in the number of U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq from roadside bombs compared with a year earlier, and the Pentagon pointed to MRAPs as an important factor.
"An incredible success story," said Goure of the Lexington Institute. But the enhanced troop safety came at a price, he and others say: namely, far less versatility than the agile, if more vulnerable, Humvees.
Broken axles
"An MRAP gives you unmatched force-protection capabilities," but it is heavy and doesn't handle well, said Dakota Wood, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "The original design made them very ill-suited for off-road, cross-terrain use."
The Cougar, produced by South Carolina-based Force Protection Industries, can weigh up to a whopping 71,600 pounds with extra armor added.
