U.S. Special Forces buy RG33 MRAPs

ARLINGTON, Va., March 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Forces have bought almost 350 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected RG33 vehicles.

BAE Systems, which makes the vehicles, said in a statement last week that the RG33 order was worth $234 million. The company said the order was comprised of three Special Forces Command vehicles, 51 ambulance variants and 393 RG33 Category II 6x6 MRAP variants.

"The proven track record of these RG33 vehicles validates BAE Systems commitment to providing protection for the men and women in uniform," said Matt Riddle, vice president for Wheeled Vehicle Programs at BAE Systems.

"The RG33 addresses the demanding requirements of today's threats and BAE Systems facilities across the country are working around the clock to deliver these life saving vehicles as quickly as possible," Riddle said.

BAE Systems said it would build the RG33 MRAP vehicles at its plants in York, Pa.; Aiken, S.C.; and Fairfield, Ohio; with help from Letterkenny Army Depot, Spartan Motors Chassis' facility in Charlotte, Mich., and Demmer Corp.'s facility in Lansing, Mich. The company said it was projecting completion and handing over of the first vehicles to Special Forces to start in August this year and finish in November.

BAE Systems said its MRAP production work involved 2,000 of its workers in the United States and 400 more in South Africa. BAE Systems said it also had 500 workers to maintain the vehicles in the Iraq theater of operations where they would be deployed.