The Marine Depot Maintenance Command has begun work to refurbish and up-armor a fleet of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force at an MDMC facility in Barstow, California.
The Marine Corps said Friday the MRAP all-terrain vehicles will be equipped with new armor features and will undergo road tests at Production Plant Barstow.
According to the service branch, the specialized vehicles will be used to transport troops in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan.
“Currently we’re working on a split line between Air Force and Marine Corps M-ATVs at a rate of about 16 to 20 a month,” said Kenny Phillips, production superintendent for the M-ATV line at Production Plant Barstow.
“[M-ATV] is really the replacement for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle because the Humvee is thin layer sheet metal and didn’t do enough to protect the Marines.”
The Marines’ MRAP will feature a machine gun in the turret that can be operated directly from on top while the Air Force’s MRAP will employ a Crew Remote Operated Weapon type turret that can be operated from inside of the M-ATV cab.