US Marines order more MRAPs

The US Marine Corps has placed two follow-on delivery orders worth a total of $715m with BAE Systems for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Under the new contracts, BAE Systems will build and deliver 1,024 Caiman-based Category I vehicles and 447 RG33 Category I and II vehicles (bringing the total to 3,150 Category 1 and 1,927 Category II vehicles respectively).

BAE Systems anticipates that the Caiman award, worth $481.8m, will include spares and increased contractor logistic support.

The RG33 order, worth $234m, involves the production of three special forces command vehicles, 51 ambulance variants and 393 RG33 Category II 6x6 MRAP variants.

Delivery of all the vehicles will begin this August and is scheduled for completion by November 2008.