Tackling The Terrain

摘要

Five designs are vying for a potentially lucrative contract to supply Marines andrnSoldiers in Afghanistan with at least 2,080 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs).rn1. BAE Systems is offering a redesigned version of its Caiman Light Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.rn2. Force Dynamics, a joint venture of Force Protection Inc. and General Dynamics Land Systems, is competing with Force Protection's Cheetah.rn3. General Dynamics Land Systems also is making a solo bid with the RG-31, which is based on a South African design.rn4. Navistar Defense will compete with a tweaked version of its MaxxPro Dash.rn5. The Oshkosh M-ATV features its battle-tested independent suspension system.rnWith thousands of Marines and Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan, the race is on to equip them with a new all-terrain armored vehicle that will allow them to navigate harsh, undeveloped terrain with bomb-blast protection.rnThe new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles, or M-ATVs, could become a crucial new asset to the Marines deploying to Southern Afghanistan - the heart of the Taliban-led insurgency that increasingly uses roadside bombs in its campaign against the Afghan and foreign militaries.