BAE Caiman

The Caiman is an MRAP with a V-hull design based on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and Low Signature Armored Cab (LSAC), initially developed by Stewart & Stevenson and now produced by BAE Systems Platforms & Services.

BAE Caiman
Caimans used by the United States Army in Iraq
TypeMRAP
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service2007–present
Used bySee operators
Wars
Production history
Designer
ManufacturerBAE Systems Platforms & Services
No. built1000+
Specifications
Mass2.6m
Length7.5m
Width3.1m
Crew10

The Caiman is based on the chassis and automotives of the Medium Tactical Vehicle variant of the FMTV and features:

History
The interior of a Caiman used by NASA

The Caiman completed testing by the U.S. military at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in July 2007. On 13 July 2007, Armor Holdings received a prime contract award by the U.S. Navy on the behalf of the U.S. Marine Corps for $518.5 million under the MRAP vehicle program. The contract specified delivery of 1,154 Category I MRAP vehicles and 16 Category II MRAP vehicles by the end of February 2008.[2]

BAE Systems acquired Armor Holdings in 2007 and continued production of the Caiman.

In August 2009, the U.S. Army announced that Oshkosh Defense had been awarded the FMTV A1P2 rebuy production contract. This award did not include the Caiman.

In September 2010 BAE Systems was awarded a $629 million contract from the U.S. MRAP Joint Program Office to upgrade 1,700 Caiman MRAP vehicles to Caiman Multi-Terrain Vehicle - Caiman MTV standard. The upgraded vehicle integrates a refurbished and improved armored capsule from an existing vehicle with a new high-power automotive power train, chassis and independent suspension made by ArvinMeritor.[3] Greater survivability is achieved through an enhanced monolithic floor, a strengthened chassis frame and better blast absorbing seats.[4]

On December 18, 2011, a Caiman was part of the last U.S. military convoy out of Iraq, being the last vehicle to cross the border into Kuwait, signifying the end of U.S. military presence and operations in the eight-year Iraq War.

A Caiman used by the Summit County Sheriff's Office in Ohio

Starting in October 2013, local police and sheriff offices in the U.S. began to acquire Caiman 6x6 MTVs. The U.S. government offered these vehicles to local law enforcement as the need for them greatly decreased after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars ended. The Caiman MTV normally costs $412,000, but is sold for only its transportation costs to the local jurisdiction.[5][6]

In September 2014, the U.S. approved a $2.5 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates Army for over 4,500 surplus U.S. MRAPs for increased force protection, conducting humanitarian assistance operations, and protecting vital international commercial trade routes and critical infrastructure. 1,150 vehicles were Caimans.[7]

Operators
Map with military BAE Caiman operators in blue

Military operators

Civilian operators

Non-state operators

See also

References
  1. "Article on Tensylon based composite armor used in Caiman". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  2. Marine Corps News> MRAP Orders Approach 5,000 Archived 2008-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "defence.professionals". defpro.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  4. "Error Page". BAE Systems - International. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  5. United States Northwest Regional SWAT Team is now equipped with Caiman 6x6 MRAP vehicle Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine - Armyrecognition.com, 3 November 2013
  6. "City OK's defense vehicle purchase - TimesRepublican.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community info - Times Republican". Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  7. United States approved major contract of MRAP vehicles for UAE Archived 2014-11-07 at the Wayback Machine - Armyrecognition.com, 27 September 2014
  8. "U.S. Delivers Armored MRAP Vehicles to Egyptian Military". May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016.
  9. "Excess Defense Articles (EDA)". Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  10. "Iraqi special forces seen with new vehicles for Mosul offensive". Jane's Defence Weekly. June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  11. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (March 23, 2021). "Tracking Arms Transfers By The UAE, Russia, Jordan And Egypt To The Libyan National Army Since 2014". Oryx Blog.
  12. "UNITED STATES SET TO PRESENT 24 MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED VEHICLES VALUED AT US$11 MILLION TO THE NIGERIAN ARMY TODAY". January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  13. Administrator. "Caiman MTV 6x6 MRAP vehicle in service with UAE army - December 2017 Global Defense Security news industry - Defense Security global news industry army 2017 - Archive News year". www.armyrecognition.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  14. Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (October 29, 2021). "Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria". Oryx Blog.
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