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LRP Rations

FSN
8970-926-9222
Specification
MIL-F-43846

Natick Labs designed the Long Range Patrol (LRP) food packet for long-range reconnaissance troops, who found the standard C-Ration to be too heavy. The packets weighed 11oz, approximately a third of the weight of the c-rations, and were available in eight different menus. The rations, which were first issued in 1964, consisted of a pre-cooked freeze-dried main meal in a reconstitution package and contained approximately 1,100 calories. Though they were intended to be hydrated, the meals could be eaten dry if necessary.

The LRP packet was popular with Army reconnaissance troops in Vietnam, however, Special Forces and CIDG Strikers favored the indigenous rations provided by the Counterinsurgency Support Office (CISO). Developed by Ben Baker, the 'Packet, Subsistence, Indigenous' was composed of precooked rice and freeze-dried vegetables together with either Beef, Squid, Shrimp, Mutton or Sausage.