BAGHDAD — The U.S. Marine Corps has deployed a new vehicle to combat
improvised explosive devices in Iraq.
A MRAP JERRV is shown undergoing the first shot of a four shot series of test explosions at the Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland. www.usmc.mil
The Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid
Response Vehicle, or JERRV, has been used in combat and logistics patrols
throughout Anbar. The 26-ton vehicle, deployed by Regimental Combat Team 6,
contains armor meant to stop most IEDs.
"There's a higher sense of security with brand new vehicles," Cpl.
Miarco McMillian, a motor transportation operator with Headquarters Company,
said. "They're designed to carry the weight of the armor."
Also In This Edition
JERRV weighs 20 tons but could be equipped with additional armor that
would reach 26 tons, Middle East Newsline reported. Marines, praising the vehicle's maneuvering ability,
said they feel more safe in the MRAP variant than in an armored Humvee.
"They're like no other vehicle I have ever driven," Gunnery Sgt. Matthew
Larson, the motor transportation maintenance chief for RCT-6, said. "They
are like riding in a bank-vault with wheels. You can't help but feel safer
in the JERRV than in an armored Humvee. These vehicles will definitely save
lives."
Officers said the Marines plan to train 700 soldiers to operate the
MRAPs. They said 500 of the vehicles were slated to be deployed in Anbar.
"The MRAP will go a long way in the IED force protection of our Marines,
sailors and soldiers," Capt. Russell Wilson, the motor transportation
officer for RCT-6, said. "However, this added protection comes with a price.
The price is reduced visibility, maneuverability, off road capability and
[experienced operators]. That is where training becomes critical to the
success of the vehicle and the adaptation to accomplish the mission."
