photo via Marine Corps Times...
Of all the issues on procurement that the USMC faces, one vehicle has virtually disappeared from the discussion...the Marine Personnel Carrier...this from Marine Corps Systems...
An MPC company lifts an infantry battalion in conjunction with the infantry’s organic wheeled assets. Like the planned Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), MPCs will be assigned to the Assault Amphibian Battalions of the Marine Division currently outfitted with Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs). The reconstituted Assault Amphibian battalion would tentatively consist of one MPC company (nominally 88 vehicles) and three EFV companies (about 45 vehicles each).
The MPC family of vehicles will consist of a base vehicle and two supporting mission role variants. The MPC-Personnel will be the base vehicle, two of which carry and support a reinforced rifle squad of 17 Marines (one EFV would do the same). Each vehicle would carry 9-10 combat-equipped Marines and a two-man crew. This meets the need to transport more Marine infantrymen than the existing Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) or Humvee platforms while providing greater protection. The eight-wheeled LAV is not employed as an armored personnel carrier and usually carries a four-person Marine scout/reconnaissance team in addition to its crew. The MPC-Command will be equipped to serve as a mobile command-echelon/ fire-support coordination center for the infantry battalion headquarters. The MPC-Recovery will be the maintenance and recovery variant of the MPC.
The MPC supports expeditionary maneuver by enhancing the Marine Air Ground Task Force’s (MAGTF) tactical and operational protected mobility. Conceptually, the MPC will complement the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) and will be delivered to the fight as part of the reinforcing echelon of the MAGTF during forcible entry operations and in of support sustained operations ashore. The MPC will enable the GCE to maintain lift capacity requirements and provides an additional balanced platform that will be capable across the range of military operations.
The Marine Corps leadership deferred a Milestone A go-ahead for the MPC program in May 2008, saying the delay would allow it “to effectively prioritize near-term investment decisions, in order to provide a synchronized mobility strategy with respect to the capabilities the MPC, the EFV, and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) offer in the future.” (See the separate EFV and JLTV chapters of this publication.) MPCs would be supported by JLTVs carrying heavy weapons, communications equipment, and cargo.
The MPC will be designed to cross rivers and inland bodies of water in a Marine Air-Ground Task Force’s littoral operational area. The MPC likely would have a remotely operated weapon station turret fitted with a .50 caliber machine gun, a 7.62 mm machine gun, or an automated Mk. 19 grenade launcher with a thermal sight. The MPC crew could provide direct fire in support of dismounted Marine infantrymen.'
Read the whole thing here...
But my questions are these...
1. What will the MPC bring to the table that the current MRAP doesn't?
2. If the vehicle is only required to cross inland water sources then is this really a must have for Marine forces? A host of vehicles can perform the troop transport mission and the fact that the vehicle will perform the APC role and not that of the IFV reinforces this notion.
3. How are we going to justify this vehicle in light of modifying the HUMVEE (and for that matter is the JLTV a must have)? Can we not modify legacy Strykers to perform this mission at much reduced cost?
I guess in summation its time to get to budget crunching in a serious way. If the EFV is a must then we've got to start tossing other programs into the garbage heap. I submit that the MPC be the vehicle that gets tossed...
US Army Strykers (used) and slightly modified to have an amphibious (limited) capability would seem ideal. They're already set up with Blue Force tracker, already have RWS and can be had fairly cheaply...with the added bonus of the Marine Corps being able to piggy back on the Army's supply system.
This seems like a no brainer.
Scrap the MPC and modify US Army Strykers for this mission. Or..if you really want to be light and expeditionary...want a vehicle that you can fly to dispersed locations to give your infantry companies mobility then how about this...
