Quickly produced during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle has earned accolades for saving thousands of soldiers’ lives and has been criticized for its $45 billion program cost.
With MRAP procurement complete, the Army and Marine Corps are seeking solutions from industry for products to protect its fleet as some of it moves into storage.
The Marine Corps’ corrosion prevention and control office in October awarded a $4.5 million contract to Transhield for 3,700 covers to protect its MRAP fleet from UV damage and corrosion.
After onsite testing, Transhield sold an additional 120 MRAP covers to the Army Strategic Logistics Activity in Charleston, S.C., that will replace ones made from vinyl or tarp.
The ultraviolet light inhibitor in Transhield’s covers lasts four years, and they are normally replaced every two to four years, said Matthew Peat, Transhield’s executive vice president. Each one costs about $1,500.
As to whether Transhield will be selling more covers to the Army, Peat said, “We are in discussions with various decision makers involved in the U.S. Army MRAP community. It is still early in the process due to the fact that the U.S. Army is still identifying its enduring requirement.”
From the Army’s 20,000 vehicle MRAP fleet, about 60 percent will be moved to storage or prepositioned stocks, said an Army official in March. The service has said that a report due to be released in December 2012 will detail the future of its fleet.
Photo Credit: iStockphoto, Defense Dept.