Army to expand array of armored vehicles in Iraq.

A mid a wave of violence in Iraq, U.S. military commanders there are requesting additional armored vehicles, particularly large ones that can transport a dozen or more passengers.

The Army has shipped more than 10,000 armored Humvees to Iraq, but these only can fit four passengers. To move larger numbers of troops, commanders have limited options.

One is a gun-truck armor kit that is installed on 5-ton vehicles, with machine guns mounted around the cargo box. The gun-truck kit was dubbed "Hunter Box" after Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who earmarked funds for the project. Researchers at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory designed the kit.

To date, some 31 trucks have been outfitted with the armor protection kits and added to U.S. convoys. In recent weeks, the Army has allocated $2 million, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency $1.5 million to produce gun-box armor kits for 80 more trucks, said a Lawrence Livermore spokesman.

The project's main contractor is Plate Fabrication and Machining of Philadelphia, Pa., and two other firms--Waco Composites, of Waco, Texas, and Protective Armored Systems, of Lenoxdale, Mass.--were added as subcontractors.

Gun trucks were popular during the Vietnam War. Livermore researchers designed the kit with input from Vietnam-era gun truck veterans, the spokesman said, and updated it to reflect the environment in which troops operate in Iraq.

Although the Livermore gun trucks received glowing reviews by some units in Iraq, they are considered a less-than-ideal solution because they expose troops to overhead fire and put passengers at risk in rollover accidents.

"We are trying to find other alternatives, primarily because they [the Hunter Boxes] don't have overhead protection," said a U.S. Army official in charge of evaluating equipment in Iraq. "However, I've heard they might be able to put overhead protection on them in the near future."

A more sophisticated armored cargo carrier, also mounted on a 5-ton truck, currently is being tested as a possible addition to the motor pool.

The armored compartment--called the multipurpose troop transport and carrier (MTTCS)--was designed by Science Applications International Corporation. The company funded the development, and the Army Rapid Equipping Force sponsored a series of tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., where the system's ceramic armor plates proved they could survive attacks by a wide range of explosives, said Michael Lowe, SAIC's program manager.

A prototype was sent to Iraq, at contractor's expense, to continue the evaluation.

"The feedback so far is positive as far as protection. However, it needs a stronger air conditioner, and the gunner's turret shields, when mounted on top of the box, make the vehicle too tall to go under some bridges in Baghdad," the Army official said. "The seats are the same as in the C-130 aircraft and can be easily removed or configured in different ways."

Jeff Daniels, an SAIC engineer who spent several months in Iraq working on the project, said the height problem was fixed by removing the gunner shields welded to the top of the cargo box. The water-evaporation cooling system keeps the temperature about 20 to 25 degrees below the outside temperature, which in Iraq typically rises to 125-degrees Fahrenheit during the day. "The REF personnel said it felt okay inside," Daniels said.

The safety features in the MTTCS, he said, have impressed soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division during recent tests in Iraq. The MTTCS design offers rollover protection and armored overhead coverage, in addition to two armor plates on the bottom. The ballistic glass windows are spring-loaded, so the crew can return fire when attacked.

The seats--like those used aboard helicopters and fixed-wing cargo aircraft--are equipped with seatbelts and harnesses. They can be removed if troops need to transport cargo or if they want to offload it entirely and set up the armored box as a fixed-site shelter that can serve as a checkpoint, command post, emergency hospital or ammunition storage bin.

The armored compartment can be adapted for existing 2.5-ton, 5-ton or 7-ton trucks, said Lowe.

If the Army decides to purchase the system, SAIC has enlisted Teledyne Brown Engineering, in Hunstville, Ala., to take over the manufacturing. Lowe said it would take up to four months to get the production line set up, and Teledyne would be able to deliver 100 armored compartments per month. The price would range from $350,000 to $380,000 per unit.

"Feedback is mostly positive so far," said the Army official. "The few suggested improvements will be incorporated in the next version."

For shuttling passengers in Baghdad--often between the International Zone and the airport or Camp Victory--one of the preferred choices is the Rhino Runner armored bus. An evaluation report by U.S. Army units noted the Rhino "provides excellent protection with steel plates covering every side and is able to carry at least 23 passengers." Only a handful of Rhinos currently are available in Iraq, and are owned by contractors. These vehicles, however, cannot drive off roads and do not have any weapon mounts, which limits their military use.

The Rhino Runner, made by Labock Technologies, costs $257,000.

Unlike most military trucks, which were designed and built before anyone considered armoring them, Labock engineers vehicles specifically to withstand a heavy armor load. The company custom builds vehicles from the chassis up, with protection against armor piercing bullets and some level of bomb blast protection. The Rhino, however, has not been tested against the current improvised-explosive threats, according to Labock's website.

One other vehicle under consideration is the REVA, a 4x4 personnel carrier that seats 10 passengers and is equipped with two hatches for light machine guns.

Like the MTTCS, the only way to enter the REVA is from the back or the gunner's hatch. Ten of these vehicles are currently being used by civilian contractors in Iraq, with more coming this month.

The Army purchased five REVA prototypes for evaluation, he said. Each one costs $195,000.

J.J. Van Eck, of South Africa, designed the REVA specifically for the Iraq war, and he modeled it after the South African anti-mine vehicles currently in operation with U.S. forces.

The hull of the REVA consists of a "capsule" without chassis, and the wheel basis is built directly onto the hull with a "V"-shape at the bottom of the hull to deflect a mine blast, said the manufacturer, Integrated Convoy Protection.

The evaluation of these vehicles comes at a time when attacks by suicide bombers and buried explosives are at an all-time high in Iraq. U.S. convoys are targeted on average about 30 times per week, or double the level of attacks from a year ago, said Brig. Gen. Yves J. Fontaine, head of the Army 1st Corps Support Command, Multinational Corps-Iraq. "Our main threat is the IED for the logistics convoys coming from Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey and in going to the Baghdad area," he told reporters.

Earlier this year, as insurgent attacks escalated, the 3rd Infantry Division requested improved fire suppressors for Humvees and other trucks.

Army procurement officials are evaluating four different fire-suppression systems, which include sensors and fire extinguishers placed in the crew and storage compartments.

Other vehicle enhancements expected in the near future include:

Door Extraction Brackets. The Army Aviation & Missile Research, Development & Engineering Command designed brackets to be mounted on each Humvee door (top and bottom) using existing holes already on the up-armored Humvee. In the event of an accident when the occupants may be trapped inside the vehicle, a tow strap can be snapped on, and pulled by another vehicle to rip the door off.

Sculpted Transparent Armor. The Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center developed clear armor in response to soldiers' requests for more protection in the gunner's turret, while still maintaining visibility.

Turret Gunner Seat. Soldiers from the 1st Corps Support Command noticed that the gunner seats have a 2-inch strap that often cuts off the circulation of the legs and causes soldiers to become unstable in the turret. A replacement seat was scheduled to be delivered last month.