March 31, 2005: The Afghan army is being equipped with some 5,000 Ford F 350 SORV (Severe off road vehicle) pickup trucks. These four wheel drive vehicles are based on Fords F 250/350 commercial pick up, which has been the best selling line of pickup trucks in the U.S. since the 1980s. The Afghan army trucks are being built in a Ford factory in Thailand. The SORV is being provided in five variants, (cargo, emergency response, personnel/tactical and personnel/command trucks, maintenance van). The SORV truck comes with a diesel engines (about 300 horsepower). Costing about $40,000 each, the 4.5 ton vehicle can carry about two tons of personnel and cargo, and tow up to eight tons. It has a 38 gallon fuel tank. Depending on the version, the SORV can seat up to eleven people. Afghans are accustomed to cramming as many people as they can into pickups and SUVs. The Afghans will probably also mount weapons on some of the SORVs, and give these vehicles a workout that Ford engineers never imagined.
Many armed forces, especially those on a low budget, use commercial vehicles, particularly the Ford F-250/350. The Irish army uses SORVs for recon units. In Afghanistan, the Ford, and other pickups, are very popular (especially if they are four wheel drive). Equipping the Afghans with the SORVs, instead of hummers, means the Afghans will get familiar vehicles at less than half the price of the hummer.
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