Fatal MRAP rollovers prompt warnings

[unhappycamper]

Safety warning
MRAPs vulnerable to tipping over, officials say.


Fatal MRAP rollovers prompt warnings
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jul 24, 2008 17:47:53 EDT

WASHINGTON — The towering trucks that give U.S. troops the best protection against roadside bombs and enemy bullets also make them vulnerable to routine hazards like sharp turns, rutted roads and rickety bridges.

Five deaths caused by rollovers and dozens of other accidents in Iraq and Afghanistan have led U.S. military leaders to warn troops to be smart behind the wheel, according to military documents obtained by The Associated Press and accident reports released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The message is especially relevant in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has boosted demand for these steel cocoons, known as MRAPs, short for Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles. Due to Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain and unpaved roads, officials will send nearly 800 more RG-31s, the smallest of several different MRAPs the military now uses.

Yet even at a comparatively nimble nine tons, the RG-31 is not immune from tipping. On June 29, three Green Berets drowned when theirs rolled into a canal in southern Afghanistan. The accident is under investigation.

MRAPs get high marks from commanders for protecting U.S. personnel from enemy attack. Close to 7,000 of the vehicles are already in use in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Pentagon will buy at least that many more.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_mrap_072408/



uhc comment: Last year, we discovered MRAPs cost $1,000,000+ a pop depending on how it's configured. Guess how we ship them to Iraq?

--> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=5882
--> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=4849

[pwb]

1. That figures

Do they have that arm thingy to right themselves?
Another rushed cost plus contract.