Hi all, first post here. I guess I fall under the guise of "amateur enthusiast" here, though it's been certainly more than an interest of mine for a long time. I was pointed to this forum by a friend, and I'm really glad of the chance to talk converse with real defence industry specialists.
So anyway, enough of that, onto the topic. I did search for any existing thread about this, but nothing came up. The current situation in Iraq seems to have a propensity for increasing violence related to Shiite Militia (the allegedly Iranian proxy) as opposed to the previously Sunni (and obviously ongoing) insurgency. Explosively Formed Penetrators therefore seem obviously pretty high up the menace list.
As MRAP II approaches, it seems that the arms race between explosive device attacks and mine resistant vehicles is about to reach another junction. I've read reports that the Ceradyne Bull is the ‘leading contender’, through it’s much vaunted ability to resist EFPs. However, I’ve also heard privately that the Bull is a massive unwieldy vehicle, utterly impractical and unlikely to be procured in any great numbers. So yeah, in the face of contradictory information, I come to you.
So, I guess I have 2 quick questions.
1. What do people think is likely to happen with the MRAP II procurement? Is the Bull all it’s supposed to be?
2. Any general insight/predictions/speculation about the future of MRAP/EFPs is very welcome. I’m also pretty interested in opinions as to what the size of the procurements will be.
So anyway, enough of that, onto the topic. I did search for any existing thread about this, but nothing came up. The current situation in Iraq seems to have a propensity for increasing violence related to Shiite Militia (the allegedly Iranian proxy) as opposed to the previously Sunni (and obviously ongoing) insurgency. Explosively Formed Penetrators therefore seem obviously pretty high up the menace list.
As MRAP II approaches, it seems that the arms race between explosive device attacks and mine resistant vehicles is about to reach another junction. I've read reports that the Ceradyne Bull is the ‘leading contender’, through it’s much vaunted ability to resist EFPs. However, I’ve also heard privately that the Bull is a massive unwieldy vehicle, utterly impractical and unlikely to be procured in any great numbers. So yeah, in the face of contradictory information, I come to you.
So, I guess I have 2 quick questions.
1. What do people think is likely to happen with the MRAP II procurement? Is the Bull all it’s supposed to be?
2. Any general insight/predictions/speculation about the future of MRAP/EFPs is very welcome. I’m also pretty interested in opinions as to what the size of the procurements will be.