FORT HOOD — Troops from Fort Hood are helping to test a new Army vehicle that could eventually be used by combat engineers or other soldiers across the Army.

The Medium Mine Protected Vehicle, or MMPV, can be equipped with state-of-the-art bomb detecting tools including a robotic arm and a robot that soldiers can deploy without having to leave the safety of the vehicle.

Last week, soldiers and Army civilians from Fort Hood’s Operational Test Command, or OTC, and a route-clearance platoon from the 36th Engineer Brigade were testing the new vehicle.

“We view this as a great training event for these guys,” said OTC Capt. Brandon Schreiner, a test officer on the project.

He said planning and preparation for the exercise began months ago.

“We put them in a very challenging, rigorous” operation, he said.

In Fort Hood’s training area, the combat engineer soldiers conducted route-clearing exercises just as they would on a deployment, carefully checking out potential roadside bombs that could be lurking behind a rock or elsewhere.

The testers also threw in friendly and enemy troops on the surrounding hills to heighten the complexity of the exercise.

Unlike other training operations, however, the route-clearance platoon has a new vehicle — with new tools and capabilities — to work with.

The platoon was using six MMPVs (Type 2) in addition to the platoon’s other standard, route-clearance vehicles, including the odd-looking Army Buffalo truck.

Visibly absent from this training mission was the old-style MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle, widely used by American forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The MMPV is also an MRAP-like vehicle, and if approved by Army leadership, could replace the four to five MRAP vehicles currently used by the Army, officials said.

The MMPV can be equipped with a robot deployment system, which allows soldiers to stay buttoned-up while the robot deploys. With current MRAP vehicles, soldiers must get out of the vehicle to deploy the 50-pound robot that can search for roadside bombs, officials said.

Another tool in the MMPV is a vehicle optics system that extends above the truck to give operators a far-off view of the road ahead or other potential threats. The vehicle also features an outside cage, which can limit damage from rocket propelled grenades.

“It’s a new package,” said 1st Lt. Danielle Martinez, the platoon leader from the local engineer brigade’s 510th Clearance Company that was testing the MMPV last week.

She said her soldiers are getting a lot of good training out of the testing exercise, and are observing the capabilities of the new vehicle.

“I think the robot is a great tool to have in our kit box,” she said.

The engineering soldiers and the testers are noting both the good and bad points of the new vehicle and its equipment, which will help the Army make a final decision on whether the MMPV will become part of the Army’s fleet.

“So far, (the testing) has been extremely smooth,” said Sgt. 1st Class Ralph Sutton, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the testing with OTC.

The vehicle looks very different on the inside than what soldiers are used to, said Sutton, adding most of the soldiers in the platoon have combat experience.

He called the ability to test the new vehicle an “outstanding opportunity” for the local soldiers, and their efforts could have an impact on Army engineer units for the next 20 to 30 years.

If officially approved, the MMPV could be rolling into Army engineer units later this year.