Army, Marines roll out big trucks on Oahu highways

Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008

Drivers on O'ahu may have noticed some strange-looking military vehicles on the road over the past six months or so.These desert-sand-colored motoring monsters would make even a Hummer have a sense of inferiority.As far as pickups go, the MXT-MVA is about the baddest vehicle going. Both the Marines and Army have one for testing, officials said. The Navistar International vehicle, Military Extreme Truck-Military Version Armored in military-speak, is a super-sized ride. Marine Corps officials said it weighs in at 15,200 pounds.It's got unusual slash-shaped side windows, and armor designed by Plasan Sasa, an Israeli-owned vehicle manufacturer.There are gunports on all four doors and a hatch on the roof. The Marines also have for training on O'ahu a couple variants of MRAPs, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

Both MRAP versions are nearly 11 feet tall, counting the gunner's turret on top. One six-wheeled version of the troop carrier weighs 20 tons — about the same as the Army's Stryker vehicle.MRAPs have been a proven life-saver in Iraq and Afghanistan with their tall V-bottom hull design, which deflects explosive blasts. Unfortunately, their height and weight also makes them prone to rollovers.All the trucks here are driven off base so troops become better familiarized with their handling. The MXT-VA recently was on display at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.Cpl. Garry Reagan, who's with the 3rd Marine Regiment, has driven both the the MXT-VA and the mine-resistant vehicles.

""The main thing about (the MXT) is the suspension seems really, really tight,"" said Reagan, 20, who's from Houston. ""Any bumps on the road just really rock the vehicle.""The fact that it doesn't have a Cadillac ride doesn't matter much. Marines line up to drive it.""All the Marines — they want to get their hands on it,"" Reagan said. Trips often are made up to Schofield Barracks and back. Other motorists do a lot of gawking.""They want to know what it is,"" Reagan said. ""You can tell it's military, but at the same time, they are used to seeing Humvees, MRAPs, seven-ton trucks. They've never seen this.""International Harvester sold the XT line of monster trucks for a while on the consumer market for about $70,000 to $135,000 but pulled the plug in the fall.

It still sells to the military, and the United Kingdom in October announced that it had earmarked $525 million for 260 ""Husky"" vehicles built on the MXT platform.