JDAM2000 wrote:
I see in Enduring Freedom the Mk48 mod 0 is a AP2 weapon. Now with M240L replacing M240B and Mk48 in the weapon squads I presume more of the Mk48 are finding there way into the fireteams.
Anyone know of the ratio of Mk48 vs. M249s in US Army infantry platoon's squad fireteams are?
The Mk 48 Mod 0s were originally procured as an interim replacement for the M240B with troops serving in Afghanistan until the M240L could be fielded. What was found when the PM Soldier Weapons Assessment Team found when they showed up in either 2009 or 2010 was that the increased engagement ranges being encountered there had led the units that received the weapons to retain the M240Bs at platoon level and push the Mk 48 Mod 0s down to squad level as replacements for the M249. So this was/is already happening.
The Assessment Team also reported that leaders in Afghanistan wanted to bag worrying about the M240L and just adopt the Mk 48 Mod 0 outright, in spite of its known reliability issues. This was because as of May 2010, only 50 M240L had been delivered and production of that weapon was just getting started. The Mk 48 Mod 0, however, was already in full production. As of 2011, there were said to be 500 Mk 48 Mod 0s in Afghanistan with the US Army and a total of 1,459 M240Ls fielded (not specifically to Afghanistan).
I could imagine that the US Army might try and get units that received the Mk 48 Mod 0 to turn them in on a one-for-one basis for M240Ls. This is pure speculation, but its based on previous historical examples. What might happen is that since the M240Bs will still be in the supply chain, one might see the same situation where the new weapons are pushed down to the squads happen and the M240Bs are retained.
JDAM2000 wrote:
Another question, how many HUMVEES are in active duty now compared to MRAPs in Afghanistan in the US Army?
Impossible to say how many in Afghanistan, but the US Army claimed to have ~19,000 MRAPs total in the 2011 Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy report. By comparison the US Army claims to have over 160,000 HMMWVs total. Again, its impossible to say for sure how many are in Afghanistan. Its even more difficult to say for sure because the MRAPs would likely be replacing HMMWVs more so than other vehicle types, so just getting a rough estimate based on how many are authorized per brigade or something would be hard.
A good sense of how MRAPs are deployed (at least as of 2008) can be found in the following document:
CALL Handbook 8-30: MRAP Vehicles - Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.
Now, to head off people concerned about OPSEC, since I already had to respond to this on the TMP boards, I'll explain it all here right now.
Firstly, it says very clearly (emphasis added):
Quote:
This product is designed for official use by U.S., coalition, and allied personnel and cannot be released to the public without the expressed written consent of CALL.
Quote:
This information is furnished with the understanding that it is to be used for defense purposes only, that it is to be afforded essentially the same degree of security protection as such information is afforded by the United States, and that it is not to be revealed to another country or international organization without the written consent of CALL.
I have the aforementioned requisite written consent. The document was obtained by me through a Freedom of Information Act Request and regardless is unclassified. I am more than willing to share said written consent with anyone who is interested.
