In-field upgrade for Marines' MRAPS

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ARLINGTON, Va., July 26 (UPI) -- U.S. Marine Corps RG-33 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan will receive in-theater upgrades from BAE Systems through multiple awards.

BAE said the total value of the five separate delivery orders is more than $53 million.

"This work is important to ensure that MRAP vehicles deployed with our troops are enhanced to maximize mission effectiveness and are appropriately supported on operations to ensure availability," said Chris Chambers, vice president and general manager of the tactical wheeled vehicles product line at BAE Systems.

"Keeping these vehicles capable of performing in increasingly demanding conditions and terrain is paramount, adding to our troops' safety and success."

The RG-33 Family of Vehicles are highly survivable, mine-resistant vehicles capable of meeting multiple mission profiles with several mission-specific variants.

BAE Systems received an award for $11.8 million for the delivery of Skydex flooring and Vehicle Emergency Escape Window assemblies for selected RG-33 vehicles. The Skydex flooring provides additional ballistic shock protection to vehicle occupants, while the VEE Window allows soldiers to remove the ballistic rear window in seconds and quickly exit the vehicle in an emergency.

Additional funding in the amount of $5.8 million was awarded for periodic maintenance and updates to the RG-33 FOV technical data package. A total of $10.8 million was awarded to provide instructor and field service personnel in support of vehicle operation and maintenance training and to support and maintain the fielded RG-33 vehicle fleet.

BAE will also support the field upgrade of the RG-33 SOCOM A0 vehicle to the A1 configuration.

Also, $7.1 million was awarded to provide a universal MRAP maintenance workforce in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The maintenance workforce will be in Bagram, Afghanistan.