The RG-33 is a mine-resistant light armored vehicle initially designed by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa (formerly

Land Systems OMC Land Systems OMC is a South African company that produces a range of armoured vehicles which have been successfully exported and are in service with, amongst others, the U.S., Canadian and South African militaries. It is a division of Denel SOC LT ...

), a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

n subsidiary of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenue ...

. BAE Systems in the US extensively modified it with additional protection, new powertrain, and suspension systems. It was built in a number of locations including

York, Pennsylvania York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...

. It was one of several vehicles being fielded by the US Armed Forces in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

under the MRAP program.

Overview

It is based on the RG-31, which itself is based on the

Mamba APC The Mamba is a South African armoured personnel carrier designed for internal security purposes. It was developed during the late 1980s to replace the Buffel in service with the South African military and security forces. The first models were b ...

, although it is roughly twice the weight of a RG-31. There are two variants, the standard RG-33 has four wheels and weighs 22 tons while the extended RG-33L variant has six wheels, can carry twice as many people in the back, and weighs 26 to 37 tons depending on the version. It was selected to be the sole producer of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

's $2.88 billion Medium Mine Protected Vehicle program. The initial contract is worth $20 million. BAE representative Doug Coffey says that live-fire testing at Aberdeen, Maryland, proved the RG-33 to be the overall most survivable MRAP vehicle. The RG33 is manufactured in several configurations including the category I 4×4, category II 6×6, the heavy armored ground ambulance (HAGA) and the special operations command (SOCOM) vehicle.

Design

It features a monocoque armored

v-hull The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs), infantry mobility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and MRAPs. The design originated in the 1970s with vehicles such as the iconic Cassp ...

, for maximized interior space, seats and footrests suspended from the ceiling, run-flat tires, and an optional armored glass

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * M ...

(Gunner Protection Kit or GPK), for maximized visibility and protection. The monocoque hull does not extend under the engine like some other armored vehicles. The engine compartment is a separate monocoque structure that bolts to rest of the hull. The vehicle is notable for its extensive use of TRAPP armored glass in the crew compartment. Like the Buffalo, it can be equipped with a robotic arm. The U.S. has fielded 259 RG-33 4x4 variants in a Special Operations Command ( SOCOM) configuration as shown above with remote weapon stations, two extra seats, and a rear door assist. The U.S. has also fielded 16 RG-33L 6x6 variants in a Heavy Armored Ground

Ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to med ...

(HAGA) configuration. The Pentagon has future plans to add the Crows II remote weapon station, Boomerang anti-

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

system, and the

Frag Kit 6 Frag Kit 6 is a vehicular armor upgrade kit developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to defeat explosively formed projectiles (EFP), a type of armor penetrator often utilized in improvised explosive devices (IED). It is designed to be added ...

anti- EFP armor.

Production history

*On 26 January 2007, four (2 of each variant) RG-33s were delivered to the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

for testing. *On 14 February, an order for 15 MRAP Cat 1 RG-33s and 75 MRAP Cat 2 RG-33Ls was placed under an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract. *On 28 June, BAE received a $235.8M order for 16 RG-33 Cat 1 patrol vehicles, 239 RG-33L Cat 2 vehicles, 170 RG-33 Cat 1 variants for the United States Special Operations Command, out of their total allotment of 333 vehicles, and 16 RG-33L Cat 2

variants, which are the first vehicles in the competition specifically listed for the ambulance role. The vehicle can be mission configured for a number of roles including Infantry Carrier, Ambulance,

Command and Control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...

, Convoy Escort and Explosive Ordnance Disposal. On 18/Oct, an additional order for 600 MRAPS was received, involving 399 RGL-33L Cat 2, 112 RGL-33L Cat 2

variants and 89 RG-33 SOCOM for 322 Million dollars. On Dec/18/07 a further order for 600 RG-33L Cat 2 was awarded to BAE Systems, for 645 Million dollars. To date, this gives a total of 1,735 RG-33 vehicles being ordered by the US Military. *On 2 December 2012, BAE received a $37.6 million contract to convert 250 RG-33L 6×6 vehicles up to the Medium Mine Protected Vehicle status. Differences include a rear ramp for deploying unmanned ground vehicles, a new heating and air conditioning system, larger modular interior, high mobility chassis, extensive equipment options, larger bullet-resistant windows, and 360-degree situational awareness suite.

Versions

*RG-33 (4×4) *RG-33L (6×6)

Operators

* 10 RG-33L in service with the Burundi Army. * Croatian Army * Djiboutian Army - 10 RG-33 * Egyptian Army - 260 RG-33L + 90 RG-33L HAGA * Took delivery of 24 RG-33s after being refurbished. *

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

* United States Special Operations Command

References

External links

baesystemspresskit.com
(membership required to access/view)
Deagel.com: RG-33
{{Modern IFV and APC BAE Systems land vehicles Armoured personnel carriers of South Africa United States Marine Corps equipment Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s