Buffalo reaches troops

With the rattling of chains and faces dripping with sweat, seven Airmen teamed up with three Marines at Al Asad Airfield, Iraq, last August to strap down two MRAPs into one C-17 for transportation throughout the area.

The new MRAPs, which are to phase out the Humvee, are designed with a V-shaped, raised bottoms more than 3' off the ground to reduce troop casualties by protecting them from improvised explosive devices.

"A C-17 could hold only two MRAP category III Buffalo models, which weigh about 50,000 pounds each," said Tech. Sgt. Shawn Tague, an aerial porter from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. "This is the first time here we are loading these MRAPs into a C-17, and we are very proud to be part of this."

Lt. Col. Gerard Couvillion. 438th Expeditionary Support Squadron commander, who inspected the interior of the MRAP buffalo and had the opportunity to test drive one before his team of aerial porters loaded them, said they drove so smooth you wouldn't know they are 50,000-pound vehicles.

The team of aerial porters primarily anticipated loading the MRAPs would take longer, but in less than one hour, they completed the process.

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

"It's a privilege for the 438th APF team to be part of this," Sergeant Tague said, "knowing when these 'monstrous-looking vehicles' are delivered to ground troops, they will help save lots of lives from IEDs."

The MRAP Buffalo vehicles, which cost between $600,000 and $1 million each, can help deflect explosions. Seven vendors currently are producing the armored vehicle, which looks and feels like a Humvee on steroids, in three categories of varying shape, size and capability, to meet myriad mission requirements. Category I vehicles are designed to transport up to four servicemembers, and Category II vehicles hold a maximum 10 troops. The Category III MRAP, also known as the Buffalo, a mine-clearing vehicle, seats five.

Army Col. John Rooney, commander at Aberdeen Testing Center, said during ballistics testing, operators outfit vehicles with "super crash-test dummies." These anthropomorphic models collect information that details how their synthetic body parts--head. neck, spine, pelvis, legs--respond to simulated insurgent attacks.

"We collect information in and around the vehicle that tells us how the vehicle performs and how the human bodies within the vehicle would withstand the 'events,'" Rooney said.

Officials would not divulge details about ballistics training or results, but Rooney said the survivability of vehicles currently undergoing testing is "significantly greater" than those tested the past two years. "I'm confident as a result of what happens here, all of these vehicles today will be better at some point in the future," Rooney added.--Senior Airman Olufemi A. Owolabi, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service, contributed to this story.