Charleston Airmen deliver 2,000th MRAP

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo
  • 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFPN) --  Charleston Air Force Base Airmen recently delivered the 2,000th mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, or MRAP, to warfighters overseas.

As the only Air Force base with aircrews delivering MRAPs to deployed locations, members of the 437th Aerial Port Squadron met and exceeded Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' goal to deliver 1,500 MRAPs by the end of 2007.

The new MRAP, which cost between $600,000 and $1 million each, will phase out Humvees. MRAPs have bottoms raised more than 3 feet off the ground to increase servicemembers' mobility and enhance mission success throughout the areas of responsibility. 

Along with sending these vehicles to support Army and Marine units, they are now being shipped to Air Force units. To date, 17 MRAPs have been delivered to Airmen.

Each MRAP goes through a joint inspection by aerial port Airmen and contractors. Then Airmen accomplish a load plan to calculate weight limitations and proper center of balance. Finally, the MRAPs are loaded and strapped down on a C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy or a Russian AN124 and shipped to the deployed location.

"We are sending these lifesaving vehicles out to the warfighter as quickly as we are getting them in," said 2nd Lt. Norman Yu, the 437th APS Air Terminal Operations Center officer in charge.

When first implemented, Secretary Gates' goal may have seemed unattainable, but the 437th APS staff was able to meet and exceed this goal.

"That's when it becomes clearly evident and real that what we are doing here in Charleston is truly saving lives and making a difference over there," Lieutenant Yu said.

"Our No. 1 priority is to ship these lifesaving vehicles to our servicemembers in harm's way," said Col. John Millander, the 437th Airlift Wing commander. "The men and women of Charleston (AFB) have stepped up to this challenge and are delivering MRAPs in record time. We're not only meeting our goals, but consistently exceeding them."

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