Procurement: March 14, 2005

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The U.S. Army is spending $3.2 billion to buy new vehicles next year. Most are armored, including 93 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 22 Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, 724 wheeled Armored Security Vehicles (for the military police) and 4,528 armored hummers. The army is also getting 1,520 medium trucks and 456 heavy trucks (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks). The Bradleys have been taking the biggest beating in Iraq, as they were not built for the kind of mileage they are getting put on them over there. The army also wants to equip existing Bradleys with the same kind of communications and computer gear the Strykers have. These repairs and upgrades will cost $1.2 billion next year. The army is also replacing helicopters lost in the last two years of Iraq combat. It will cost $372 million to buy 13 AH-54 Apache helicopter gunships and five UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopters. Most of the ammunition being used in Iraq is for rifles and machine-guns, so next year the army will spend $875 million to replace that. This purchase will include 901 Javelin lightweight anti-tank guided missiles, 1,000 heavy TOW anti-tank missiles and 104 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) missiles (hundred kilometers range missiles fired from the MLRS launcher.)