Defence IQ Releases Webinar on Enduring Requirements for MRAP Armoured Vehicles

LONDON, November 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Defence IQ, the leading online resource for military and defence news and analysis, today announced the release of a complimentary webinar presented by David Hansen, the U.S. DoD's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) program manager. The webinar is available to access for free here.

The MRAP acquisition program has been one of the largest and most successful in recent memory but as operations in Afghanistan begin to wind down, what are the enduring requirements for these heavily armoured vehicles?

In this webinar Hansen presents a detailed overview of the current focus for the programme and discusses what the future holds for the U.S. fleet of MRAP vehicles, which were specifically designed and acquired in vast numbers to defeat Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Hansen also addresses the issue of lessons learned from the programme, whether or not something on this scale could be achieved again, and what the key and emerging technologies are in this field.

"One of the original thoughts was that we'd only use MRAPs in-theatre but we invested almost $50 billion in this programme to keep these trucks up and running," said David Hansen, MRAP program manager. "So everyone's looking at how not to lose that $50 billion investment … We're looking to the services to ask themselves: 'Do these trucks fit into our requirements for the future?' And the truth is yes. There is a niche for these trucks in every service … all services will retain some number of MRAPs."

"This webinar gives an excellent overview of the past, present and future of the MRAP program," said Andrew Elwell, Defence IQ Editor. "From the massive influx of new vehicles in the early days of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to the present day, where the DoD is considering its options for the future, David talks us through it all and gives some invaluable insight."

The full webinar is available now at http://www.defenceiq.com/amoured-vehicles/webinars/mrap-what-is-the-enduring-requirement/. For more information, please visit http://www.defenceiq.com.  

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SOURCE Defence IQ