Army's New All-Terrain Vehicle Debuts In Afghanistan

The MATV vehicle (left) will gradually take over for the MRAP vehicle (right), which has proven ill suited for the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. | Thomas L. Day / Macon Telegraph / MCT

From McClatchy News:

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — The U.S. military's new all-terrain vehicle doesn't look all that different from its lumbering predecessor. It's painted desert sand, and reaching the cabin still means climbing a couple of steps.

On Afghanistan's rough dirt roads, however, the new $500,000 to $1 million Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle is a major improvement over the massive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle it's replacing, soldiers say. The M-ATV is tailored to Afghanistan, at least parts of it, and the Pentagon is sending about 5,000 of them to the battlefield.

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My Comment: At almost $1 million a copy .... it better do its job.

Will The Pentagon's New Vehicle Save Lives In Afghanistan?

The Pentagon is rushing to build M-ATVs to protect troops in Afghanistan.

Pentagon Hopes New M-ATV Is 'Life-Saver' -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- It looks likes a cross between a Humvee and a monster truck, and Pentagon officials hope it can save the lives of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon is rushing the M-ATV, the latest version of the U.S. military's blast-resistant vehicles, to Afghanistan as roadside bombs take a heavy toll on U.S. forces there.

"It will be a life-saver in Afghanistan," said the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, Ashton B. Carter, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

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More News On The Pentagon's New M-ATV

New U.S. vehicles rushed to Afghanistan -- UPI
A Pentagon Contract Revives Jobs at Oshkosh -- New York Times
Gates to Thank Armored Vehicle Factory Workers -- Dvdshub
A truck for fighters revives a scrappy company -- MyDigitalFC

Pentagon Ships New M-ATVs To Afghanistan

The Oshkosh M-ATV will be replacing up-armored Humvees in Afghanistan.
(Credit: Oshkosh Defense)

M-TAVs Arrive in Southern Afghanistan -- Military.com

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The first mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles designated for southern Afghanistan arrived here, by air transport.

After months of government testing, the Defense Department awarded a contract in June to Oshkosh Corp. to supply an initial order valued at $1.05 billion for more than 2,000 of the vehicles, known as M-ATVs.

"This is a very different environment than Iraq, so as we came in and continued to fight the fight in Afghanistan, we realized it requires a little bit different equipment or modification than what we have," said Lt. Col. Richard Haggerty, the Regional Command South deputy director for acquisitions, logistics and technology.

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My Comment: I am sure that the other NATO contingents will be looking at these vehicles with envy, and they will be wondering why they are not getting any.

For more info on these M-ATVs, go here.

Pentagon Ships New M-ATVs To Afghanistan

The Oshkosh M-ATV will be replacing up-armored Humvees in Afghanistan.
(Credit: Oshkosh Defense)

From CNET:

U.S. troops in Afghanistan are now starting to receive the first of thousands of a new vehicle intended for treacherous mountain roads and tight urban lanes.

The Defense Department said Wednesday that it had loaded seven M-ATVs (for "mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles") onto a pair of aircraft for deployment to Afghanistan. Over the course of the next year, the military expects to field more than 6,600 of the vehicles (Click for a PDF of the M-ATV's brochure).

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My Comment: Quite a nifty looking vehicle .... lets hope it makes a difference.