Egypt receives more MRAPs from the United States

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The Egyptian military has received a second batch of mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles from the United States.

The Egyptian Ministry of Defence made the announcement on 29 September, saying the vehicles would boost the capabilities of the armed forces. They were received during a ceremony attended by Egyptian General Khaled Roshdy and US envoy in Cairo R Stephen Beecroft.

Charles Hooper, US Defence Attache to Egypt, said the handover was a clear indication of the strong partnership between the United States and Egypt and came after three decades of building Egypt’s military.

It is not clear how many vehicles were delivered to Egypt in September. The first batch of vehicles was received on 12 May this year and included Caiman and RG-33 vehicles.

According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Excess Defense Articles (EDA) database, a total of 762 vehicles will be donated to Egypt, including 400 Caimans, 260 RG-33s, 90 RG-33L Heavily Armoured Ground Ambulances and 12 Maxxpro recovery vehicles.

Since winding down the war in Afghanistan, the United States has been disposing of hundreds of MRAPs, and earlier this year donated 24 Caiman and MxxPro MRAPs to Nigeria, which were handed over on 7 January. Other vehicles have been donated to Uganda and Burundi.