Free Republic

With all the exciting news this summer of upcoming new plug-in hybrids and EVs, it was easy to overlook a fascinating new vehicle that almost none of us will ever drive but will have a significant impact on each and every one of our lives. That vehicle is the Oshkosh M-ATV. These clever, capable vehicles were designed, tested, approved and put into production in record time, with the first of them hitting the ground in Afghanistan this week (check out the video below). Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that at least 6,644 of the M-ATVs would go...

10/1/2009 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Two mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles arrived at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Oct. 1, after being offloaded from a C-17 Globemaster III. The M-ATVs arrived less than a day after leaving Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., Sept. 30. The M-ATV's are the first of their kind in Afghanistan and support small-unit combat operations in highly restricted rural, mountainous and urban environments that include mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control and combat service support. Transporting M-ATVs by aircraft can be accomplished in a day, where sealift would require approximately 26 days. An...