Blast-proof trucks to protect U.S. troops

WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. military will buy more than 5,200 new blast-proof trucks for $1.06 billion to protect troops from roadside bombs in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.

The move to buy 5,244 all-terrain, mine-resistant, ambush-protected trucks, known as MRAPs, comes as statistics show roadside bomb attacks have surged to record levels in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said. Commandersreport an urgent need for maneuverable trucks that are safer than armored Humvees when struck by improvised explosive devices.

"The biggest threat we have in Afghanistan right now is the IED," Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told USA Today. "And from an equipment standpoint, the No. 1 priority is to get the MRAPs there as quickly as we can."

The first trucks, made by Oshkosh Corp. of Oshkosh, Wis., are expected to arrive in Afghanistan by October and all should be delivered by March 2010, U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan said.

The Oshkosh M-ATV trucks initially will be flown to Afghanistan to speed them to troops in combat, Brogan said. It costs $1.4 million to buy, ship and service each truck for one year, significantly more than the cost of a Humvee, which costs less than $200,000, USA Today said.

Oshkosh's M-ATV model was chosen because it has the best survivability and Oshkosh the best technical and manufacturing capabilities of five candidates, Brogan said. Oshkosh's was the second cheapest bid.

Oshkosh is eventually expected to produce up to 1,000 vehicles a month, the Pentagon said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared the MRAP the Pentagon's No. 1 acquisition priority in May 2007.

More than 2,600 MRAPs for U.S. troops already exist in Afghanistan and more than 9,500 in Iraq, the Pentagon said.