Egypt to receive additional 1000 MRAP from US EDA program.

A final shipment of 101 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles has completed a foreign military sales case to transfer 930 MRAP vehicles to Egypt using the Excess Defense Articles Grant Program.

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are loaded onto rail cars for transport to Egypt. (credit: U.S. Army Security Assistance Command)

Under the grant program, the MRAP vehicles are transferred at no cost to the Egyptian government. Egypt is responsible for arranging shipment of the EDA MRAPs from Sierra Army Depot in California to Egypt.

MRAP refers to U.S. military light tactical vehicles that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes. Excess defense articles are materiel that is no longer in the Army's inventory and allows approved countries to request the materiel through the foreign military sales process.

According to Security Assistance Command Country Program Manager Shawn Arrance, these vehicles will be used by Egypt to fight against terrorism and are part of a broad range of military cooperation initiatives between the two countries.

The sale also supports U.S. national interest and continues to enhance Egyptian army capabilities by increasing the readiness posture of the country to defend its national sovereignty and regional stability, he said.

After arrival in Alexandria, Egypt, in May, the MRAP vehicles were loaded onto trains to be taken to a military workshop in Cairo for refurbishment.

USASAC personnel worked with the Egyptian government and the Tank Automotive and Armament Command Security Assistance Management Directorate to fill the request for 930 MRAP vehicles that was approved in 2015.

The transfer includes M1232 RG33L, M1233 RG33L HAGA, M1237 RG33 Plus, M1220 Caiman, and M1230 Caiman Plus vehicles, as well as MRAP Recovery Vehicles. Training is included in the package and is ongoing and scheduled in accordance with the Egyptian land forces needs and requests.

Since the initial case back in September 2015, Egypt has submitted another Letter of Request, which initiates an FMS case, for an additional 1,000 MRAPs, Arrance said.

"USASAC and TACOM SAMD are working case development for an additional 700 MRAPs that have been identified and another 300 remaining to be selected," he said. "We anticipate offering the case to Egypt in November."

Egypt will then need to accept the offer to finalize the agreement for the additional 1,000 vehicles. The total case value for the 2,000 MRAPs is estimated to be $120 million.