Oshkosh Alpha

The Oshkosh Alpha is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle created by Oshkosh Corporation together with Protected Vehicles Incorporated (PVI), and it is counted as a Category I MRAP. Oshkosh handled production and engineering while PVI created the armored chassis. The vehicle was first revealed to the public on September 12, 2006 at the Modern Day Marine show in Quantico, Virginia, when the US Marine Corps Systems Command awarded a contract for 100 Alphas worth 30.6 million US dollars, and it was marketed as a way to eventually phase out the Humvee. It carries eight people in a V-shaped monocoque hull meant to deflect mine and other explosive blasts, and its ShieldAll armor is lighter and less bulky than steel. During production it was given the codename Bulldog. On June 29, 2007 the Marine Corps Systems Command cancelled the contract over design concerns, including ergonomic and automotive deficiencies and questionable survivability. Oshkosh has halted sales since PVI went bankrupt in 2007, and most Alphas built before the cancellation were transferred to the FBI, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and US Customs and Border Protection.