Heaviest wheeled route-clearance vehicle

The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) family of vehicles, which is subdivided into three classes, has been developed to meet the threat from mines, Improvised explosive devices and ambush operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Army’s Buffalo, a development of the South African Casspir Mk II vehicle, is the largest and heaviest wheeled MRAP Category III route-clearance vehicle in use today. It entered service in 2003. Made by Force Protection Inc. (USA), the Buffalo is 9.1 m (26 ft 10 in) long, almost 2.7 m (9 ft) wide and around 3.9 m (13 ft) high with a V-shaped hull to deflect explosions. It weighs 24 267 kg (53,500 lb) empty and has a load capacity of 10,205 kg (22,500 lb), giving a total weight of nearly 31 tonnes (34 tons). Its primary task is to clear mines and IEDs and it can carry up to 13 personnel in addition to a driver and co-driver. Notwithstanding its overall size, it is air-transportable in a Lockheed C-17 airlifter. The Buffalo has been extensively used in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and is in service with the armed forces of Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the USA.