Letterkenny U.S. Army Depot to celebrate production of new RG31 4x4 route clearance vehicle 12607161

Defence & Security News - United States
 
Letterkenny U.S. Army Depot to celebrate production of new RG31 4x4 route clearance vehicle.
Last week, the Letterkenny U.S. Army Depot has celebtrated the successful production and roll out of the latest version of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected route clearance vehicle based on RG31 4x4 mine protected vehicle.
     
Last week, the Letterkenny U.S. Army Depot has celebtrated the successful production and roll out of the latest version of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected route clearance vehicle based on RG31 4x4 mine protected vehicle. A newly upgraded RG31 rolls off the production floor at Letterkenny Army Depot. The route clearance vehicle is equipped with more horsepower, a larger transmission, independent suspension for improved mobility and spotlights (Photo credit US. army website)
     
The roll-out ceremony featured the latest variant of the RG31's configuration. Among the improvements were: an engine upgrade from 275 to 300 horsepower, a transmission upgrade from 2500 to a 3000 series, the addition of independent suspension for improved mobility, 360-degree spotlights for night visibility and the addition of an armored gunner's hatch.

The RG31 is a route clearance vehicle that is part of the family of MRAP vehicles that also includes the Husky and the Buffalo.

The RG31 program was brought to Letterkenny Army Depot at the end of fiscal year 2012 with initial funding provided for prototypes and facilitization. Letterkenny artisans completed a proof concept and engineered a prototype that was accepted by the product manager of the Assured Mobility Systems Product Office, Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support.
 

The depot is scheduled to produce a total of 929 of the RG31s with a production end date of 2020.

The Assured Mobility Systems Product Office is responsible for managing the entire life cycle of development, acquisition and sustainment of route-clearance equipment for the Army. This mission involves equipping the forward-deployed route-clearance teams and explosive ordnance disposal teams operating in both Iraq and Afghanistan with the capability to detect, identify, interrogate and neutralize mines and other explosive ordnance. Assured Mobility Systems vehicles are combined at the discretion of the field commander to create the "route-clearance package" to support route-clearance teams.

Letterkenny Army Depot is a Department of Defense maintenance facility overseen by the Aviation and Missile command to sustain equipment readiness for the U.S. military and international partners through the repair and overhaul of air defense, route clearance vehicles, Special Operations, material handling and expeditionary sustainment systems. With more than 3,200 employees, the depot accounts for nearly 9 percent of Franklin County, Pa.'s gross regional product and more than 8 percent of the county's employment base.