THE demand from the US Department of Defence for South African designed mine-protected vehicles continues to be strong. The vehicles concerned have been developed by Benoni-based defence company BAE Systems Land Systems OMC, which designs, develops and manufactures armoured and mine-protected vehicles. On June 16, the US Marine Corps placed a $53-million order for 40 Special Operations Command armoured utility variant mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, based on Land Systems OMC's 6x6 RG33L. These vehicles will be built in the US, but the local company will receive royalties.

This order followed hot on the heels of another from the US Army for 111 RG31 Mk5E 4x4 MRAP vehicles, which will be built in South Africa. The company will probably start production of the RG31s this month (July), with first deliveries scheduled for August and final deliveries for October this year. "This is our first export order for this year and will keep our production line going and preserve jobs points out Land Systems OMC marketing communications manager Natasha Pheiffer. "It also re-affirms the US military's faith in our mine-protected vehicles." And the company is hopeful that other countries will soon show similar faith. "We are currently working on several international opportunities."

The RG31 programme is being managed by BAE Systems' partner company, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C). The US Army, in fact, placed the order with GDLS-C, in terms of what the Americans call an "Operational Need Statement" (ONS). This is the third ONS placed for RG31 vehicles. The first ONS was for 148 RG31 Mk3s, and the second was for 307 RG31 Mk5s. All these vehicles were manufactured in South Africa. Add the third ONS order, and this takes the number of RG31s sourced from South Africa by the US Army to 566. To that can be added 305 RG31s made in Benoni for the US Marine Corps, taking the total to 871 vehicles for the US military. (Other countries have also acquired RG31s.)

Key components for the vehicles, such as the armoured steel, the engines, and the transmissions, are imported into South Africa. Land Systems OMC sources quite a lot of things from South Africa, but these components have to be imported because there is no local manufacturing capability. The company sources its armoured steel from a number of plants around the world, so it has more that one option. The imported inputs together amount to about 50% by value of each RG31; however, the labour is 100% South African. So about 60% to 70% of the total value of the South African manufacturing contracts stays in the country

In should be noted that another 295 RG31s were manufactured under licence in the US, also for the Marines. The there are the Benoni company's RG33 4x4 and RG33L 6x6 MRAP vehicles, specifically designed and developed to meet the specifications and requirements of the US military, and produced under licence in the US, bringing in millions of rands in royalties to the Benoni company. Until now, the US had ordered a total of 2 182 RG33s of both types. The new order takes the total to 2 222. The success of this programme has demonstrated the company's ability to rapidly design and prototype vehicles for specific user requirements.

The RG31 is a 4x4 vehicle with a V-shaped monocoque welded steel hull, and comes in amroured personnel carrier (APC), ambulance, and utility vehicle variants. In APC form it can accomodate a driver and up to nine other troops. The utility version can carry cargo or mount weapons, such as an 81 mm mortar, or a 106 mm recoilless rifle, or a 20 mm cannon. The RG31 Mk 5 has a 205 kW powerplant. Maximum speed is 105 km/h. The Mark 5 is 6,6 m in length, has a width of 2,47 m, a height of 2,727 m, a wheelbase of 3,425 m, and a ground clearance of 0,389 m. The payload is 3 700 kg.

The RG33 is a medium weight vehicle with a gross vehicle mass of 22 t - which means it can be airlifted in a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which is, for the Americans, a tactical aircraft - with a payload capacity of 7 t. It features a V-shaped hull of the latest design, providing enhanced protection, and is armoured against 7,62 mm machine gun fire. Its large, armoured, windows provide excellent vision for its crew and embarked troops, and the vehicle can itself mount a machine gun - fitted with an armoured but transparent shield for the gunner - or, alternatively, a remotely-controlled weapons station.