US airlifts first M-ATVs to Afghanistan

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has begun deploying mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) all-terrain vehicles (M-ATVs) to Afghanistan and now expects to order more systems beyond its recent 5,244 requirement.

These armoured trucks are urgently needed to provide troops in Afghanistan with the same blast protection as heavier MRAPs but with increased mobility to handle the difficult terrain there.

Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) spokesperson Cheryl Irwin told Jane's that seven M-ATVs departed for Afghanistan on strategic transport aircraft – three on a C-17 and four on a C-5 – on 29 September from Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina.

This first deployment comes only three months after Oshkosh Defense announced it had won the highly coveted M-ATV production contract, which was expected to send at least 5,244 of the vehicles to theatre.