All matters MRAP JLTV (merged thread)

[Fuchs]

German experience was that APCs (SdKfz 251 mostly) halved infantry losses. APCs were only employed in motorised/armoured formations which tended to use aggressive (offensive) tactics, of course.

[Firn]

German experience was that APCs (SdKfz 251 mostly) halved infantry losses. APCs were only employed in motorised/armoured formations which tended to use aggressive (offensive) tactics, of course.

I always wondered what an impact a (very) considerable numbers of a family of trucks like the Tatra 111 or Unimog would have made on the German war effort, especially in the East. Of course more of anything, be it AFV like tanks or APCs, artillery and ammunition would have had a potentially massive impact, but a great lot of a unexpensive, robust, and highly mobile/mobile family of easily mass-producable might have completely changed the mobility of the German forces. [Lack of key ressources like metal, rubber and especially fuel, but also the lack of capability/skill/ability to handle mass production (of a reduced range of products) like the US had of course their influence on that].

Said that the prices of the new APC/IFV like the Boxer and Freccia are quite stunning. Even for the ever smaller European forces it is pretty much impossible to switch the relevant brigades over to such vehicles. In this case economies of the state and of scale are hitting really hard.

[davidbfpo]

This appears to be the main thread on MRAP and was originally titled 'MRAP JLTV concept of infantry mobility'. It is now: All matters MRAP JLTV (merged thread).

There were other threads: What is the MRAPs future in the US Army?, (on SWJ Blog) The Impact of Incorporating MRAPs into BCT’s, (ditto) MRAP Future Discussion Paper and Military Claims Victory with V-shaped Truck.

[davidbfpo]

A short article in Foreign Affairs, which ends:

Indeed, even if the United States drove all its MRAPs lemming-like into the Euphrates upon departing Iraq, the vehicles still would have been a bargain, not a boondoggle.

Link:http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articl...oney?page=show