Egypt receives 101 more mine-resistant vehicles from U.S.

July 26 (UPI) -- The final 101 of 930 mine-resistant military vehicles were delivered by the United States to the Egyptian armed forces, the U.S. Army announced this week.

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are part of the United States' Excess Defense Articles Grant Program, and were given to Egypt free of charge except for delivery costs involved in shipping them from Sierra Army Depot in California.

Excess defense articles refer to equipment no longer in the Army's inventory. Approved countries, including Egypt, can request materiels through the foreign military sales process.

MRAPs are light tactical vehicles that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes. The MRAP program began in 2007 as a response to the increased threat of IEDs during the Iraq War, and over 12,000 MRAP vehicles were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The program ended in 2012 with the vehicles replaced by the MRAP All Terrain, or M-ATV, vehicle.

Egypt will use the vehicles primarily for fighting terrorism, said Security Assistance Command Country Program Manager Shawn Arrance.

"The MRAPs serve as the most appropriate way of satisfying legitimate Egyptian forces' requirements and priorities," Arrance said in a statement last week. "Similar items have been previously provided to Egypt under the EDA program."

Egypt first received a shipment of MRAPs in 2016, and has requested 1,000 more. The total value of the vehicles, delivered and requested, is around $120 million.