The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is the single biggest hazard facing ground forces currently operating in Afghanistan. To help combat these dangers, the Oshkosh M-ATV is the U.S. military's latest development in an evolving series of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. This concept emerged following rising casualty rates from lEDs following the invasion of Iraq. Initial MRAP vehicles were based upon designs developed in Rhodesia and South Africa, which utilised a V-shaped hull to divert the force of an explosion away from the vehicle's underside. They are large and very bulky vehicles, which have proved cumbersome in the difficult terrain of Afghanistan. The M-ATV, however, is smaller and designed to take advantage of the greater protection provided by an MRAP vehicle, but coupled with the greater mobility necessary to meet the terrain conditions. It is now the primary ground vehicle for U.S. forces in Afghanistan and is intended to be a replacement for the M1114 HMMWV. MRAPs are proving to be remarkably successful. In fact, since their introduction IED-related casualties have fallen by a massive by 90%.
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