BAE Caiman

The Caiman is an armored vehicle 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. Stewart & Stevenson was later acquired in 2005 by Armor Holdings, which developed the Caiman from the FMTV and LSAC designs. Armor Holdings also owned O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt (which had exclusive rights to the up-armor kits the U.S. Military selected for their Humvees) and Integrated Textile Systems (who had an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber called Tensylon that is processed into composite armor) at the time.

BAE Caiman
A Summit County Sheriff SWAT BAE Caiman in Ohio.
TypeMRAP
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2007–present
Used bySee Operators
WarsYemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
Production history
DesignerArmor Holdings (Currently by BAE Systems Land & Armaments)
ManufacturerBAE Systems Land & Armaments
A Caiman is shown with all its crew after getting hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Description

The Caiman completed testing by the US Military at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in July 2007. On 13 July 2007, Armor Holdings received a prime contract award by the US Navy on the behalf of the US Marine Corps for $518.5 million under the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected 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.[1]

BAE Systems acquired Armor Holdings in 2007.

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

  • 10-man crew capacity
  • Tensylon composite armor[2]
  • Armor enhancement capable
  • Accepts all types of manned and remote weapons stations
  • 85 percent parts commonality with standard FMTV models (40,000 of which are already fielded)
  • Full-time all wheel drive
  • Fully automatic transmission
  • Electronic Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS)
  • Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
  • Class V Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM)

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 has been awarded a $629 million contract from the U.S. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Joint Program Office (JPO) 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 US military convoy out of Iraq, being the last vehicle to cross the border into Kuwait, signifying the end of US military presence and operations in the eight-year Iraq War.

Starting in October 2013, local police and sheriff offices throughout the United States began assuming control of many Caiman 6x6 MTVs. The US Federal Government offered these vehicles to local jurisdictions 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
NASA BAE Caiman

Military operators

Civilian operators
  •  United States: law enforcement agencies and other civilian users
    • Horry County, South Carolina Police Department[13]
 Summit County, Ohio

See also

References
  1. Marine Corps News> MRAP Orders Approach 5,000 Archived 2008-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Article on Tensylon based composite armor used in Caiman". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  3. "defence.professionals". defpro.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  4. "Error Page". BAE Systems - International. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-18. Retrieved 2014-05-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  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". 12 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016.
  9. "Excess Defense Articles (EDA)". Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  10. "Iraqi special forces seen with new vehicles for Mosul offensive". Jane's Defence Weekly. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. "UNITED STATES SET TO PRESENT 24 MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED VEHICLES VALUED AT US$11 MILLION TO THE NIGERIAN ARMY TODAY". 7 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  12. 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 12 December 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-01-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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