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A new mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle, built specifically for the mountainous Afghan terrain, parks next to a larger MRAP at Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan on Oct. 22, 2009. (Spec. Elisabet Freeburg/U.S. Army)
(The Washington Post): The United States is close to a $2.5 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates that will send 4,569 mine-resistant vehicles to the Middle Eastern country as Washington wraps up its long war in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon announced the pending deal Friday. It calls for a foreign military sale of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, along with the necessary parts, equipment, training and logistical support.
“MRAPs,” as they are commonly known, are made by numerous manufacturers and have been commonly used in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect U.S. and coalition service members from improvised explosive devices buried in the roads. They were developed with a V-shaped armored hull to deflect bomb blasts.
The deal with the UAE, an Arab partner in airstrikes launched in Syria this week, calls for Washington to deliver mostly MaxxPro MRAPs made by Navistar Defense, a truck maker with headquarters in Lisle, Ill. Other principal contractors involved include BAE Systems of Sealy, Tex., and Oshkosh Defense in Oshkosh, Wis.
The vehicles would be refurbished and sold to the UAE as excess defense articles that were previously owned by the U.S. Army, officials said. Defense officials have said that they have been looking to sell excess MRAPs to partner nations for some time, but the scope of the deals were not clear.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the U.S. by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release.
“The UAE intends to utilize the [excess] MRAP vehicles to increase force protection, to conduct humanitarian assistance operations, and to protect vital international commercial trade routes and critical infrastructure,” the agency said. “Additionally, these MRAPs will enhance UAE’s burden sharing capacity and defensive capabilities.”
It marks the second time in a week that the Pentagon has announced the sale of MRAPs to another nation. Last week, the Defense Department said it was close to a $198 million deal that would send 160 MRAPs to Pakistan. In announcing that deal, U.S. officials said that Pakistan already has some MRAPs,and has successfully demonstrated the ability to operate and maintain them. Pakistan continues to face an IED threat from militant groups, including the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.
Read more: US plans to sell over 4500 MRAPs to UAE in a $2.5b deal | Terminal X
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