Moving MRAPs

CNN ran a story similar to the one found here this afternoon:

"A C-17 could hold only two MRAP Category III Buffalo models, which weigh about 50,000 pounds each," said Tech. Sgt. Shawn Tague, an aerial porter from Pope Air Force Base, N.C. "This is the first time here we are loading these MRAPs into a C-17, and we are very proud to be part of this."

In fact, only part of the problem of getting MRAPs to the troops in the field is the actual making of them. The other trick is actually getting them there. As you can see from the graf above, it's kind of pain to fly them there. The Pentagon could conceivably ship them to the Middle East, but that would take several weeks and the demand for MRAPs is immediate.

One of the more interesting facets of the CNN piece is that Washington is looking to rent Russian made cargo planes that have the ability to carry more MRAPs in a single trip in an effort to expedite their deployment. Alas, CNN has yet to post the segment or a related web article on it's web site, but when it does I'll be sure to provide an update on the particulars when they appear.
One detail I vaguely remember for the clip is that it costs somewhere between $100,000 - $300,000 to fly an MRAP to Iraq.