The Army’s pie-in-the-sky Future Combat Systems will make brigades more easily deployable by replacing vehicles like 70-ton M-1 Abrams tanks with much lighter alternatives. To match the survivability of the older systems, FCS will rely on superior communications, new surveillance equipment and forthcoming electromagnetic shields.
That’s the fantasy. The reality might turn out quite differently. For while many of the communications and surveillance tools of the future force are already finding their way into service in Iraq, the Army isn’t getting any lighter. In fact, it’s only getting heavier.
The North Dakota National Guard’s 164th Engineer Regiment has got to be one of the best-equipped Guard units in Iraq right now. They ride in factory-fresh M-1114 up-armored Humvees and a whole circus of new vehicles originally designed to clear mines: the Buffalo, the Meerkat, the Husky and the RG-31. Every day, they roll out to sweep Improvised Explosive Devices from the highways around Logistics Support Area Anaconda.
The Buffaloes are heavily-armored six-wheeled Mack trucks with an articulated arm used to pick up and shake suspicious objects. The Meerkat and its larger cousin the Husky are spindly four-wheelers with X-rays for spotting metal bombs. The RG-31 is a tall mine-proof vehicle that more or less duplicates the Humvee’s gun-truck role and carries the 164th’s Warlock IED jammers. All the vehicles are equipped with the Forward Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) battlefield internet, one of the lynchpin systems of the lighter future force.
But does the FBCB2 make the 164th any more survivable on Iraq’s IED-infested roads? If the answer is yes, why all the expensive new armored trucks? The 164th is heavier than ever, and has all this armor to thank for its safety. They’ve been blown up many times; one Buffalo is scorched from nose to waist from a massive IED blast. But no one has died.
“Our vehicles take good care of us,” says 164th Staff Sgt. Colin Thompson in his North Dakota accent. Note that he doesn’t single out the FBCB2 for doing the same. For while information is a great enabler, it won’t magically root out every homemade IED tucked inside the carcass of a cow — and it won’t save your sorry ass when that IED blows up under your vehicle.
–David Axe
|
To Armor or Not to Armor? That is the QuestionLeave a Reply |
|
Good Morning David,
Interesting report David, but you omitted the most important partand that is are any of these vehicles working?
It’s only natural that U.S. Industry would line up at the ole’ feed bucket when the DoD is throwing money around like an intoxicated sailor but is anything here really any better then the up-armored M-1114?
What’s next, will a company up the street called “Sector 9″ who makes skate boards come up with an armored skate boards for SOC. Don’t laugh David, a local dunn buggy outfit about 20 years ago convienced the SEALS that they needed combat dunn buggies and they are still making the things for the Navy and now Marines.
As my friend on the street might say, pimp my ride, it’s on the public nickle.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
From the article:
“They’ve been blown up many times; one Buffalo is scorched from nose to waist from a massive IED blast. But no one has died.“
If that doesn’t show that they’re more effective, I don’t know what will.
1) Humvee was not designed from ground up to resist IEDs. It was, first and foremost, a general purpose vehicle to replace the M151 jeep.
2) The South African vehicles were designed during apartheid era for counter-insurgency work, and design may have been assisted by Rhodesian expatriates who fled to SA when Mugabe came into power. They are expressly for booby-trap-land, and probably suffer a tradeoff elsewhere (other than price).
“It’s only natural that U.S. Industry would line up at the ole’ feed bucket“
Euh? The South African vehicles are unrelated to the “feed bucket”. If anything, *M114* is representative of the “feed bucket”, it being a domestic build, and a “expedient” response to a problem unanticipated by that “US Industry” of yours, with requisite cost overruns and bureaucratic delays.
Would you prefer to feed the “feed bucket” and wait for some sort of “Joint Forces Roadside Improvised Explosive Device Resistive Family of Vehicles”? How long until that’s done? Some time after…FCS? :p
One way to “prove that this vehicle is indeed better then the m1114” would be if it was, say, environmentally friendly, running on unleaded with a catalytic converter.
If you add up the emissions of every vehicle present in Iraq, it’s nothing against the emissions of say…all the vehicles in Europe, or all the ships belching the smoke of disgusting bunker fuel off the Port of Los Angeles 50 miles away from my house, or the emission byproducts of industry in China or the US.
That and Iraq probably has zilch enviromental laws, and I believe the military is exempt from many enviromental laws here in the States, which would explain why every time a base shuts down millions are spent on “clean up”.
If the infantry needs an armoured patrol vehicle, don’t they already have the Bradley? Trying to turn a lightweight wheeled gp vehicle into an APC will result in a disaster which does the job of none of the above.
Now, I am not on the ground myself so I will not critize. I will observe that the British and the Iraqi police forces already compain that US forces spend too much time hunkered down/under armour, and not enough time talking to locals. Does something like this really help that situation?
Bradley ain’t a “patrol” vehicle any more than a tank. They probably use Humvees because:
–There are more of them. More patrols out, more presence.
–Lighter, less maintainence intensive. Also ties into presence.
–The people can see you. They may be more receptive to interaction with the United States Army if they can walk up to the vehicle with a tip on insurgent hideouts than say, walking up to a thirty ton tank.
–Better situational awareness on a Humvee. I believe the new upgraded Bradleys removed the M231 firing port gun things, and extra armor would make it difficult for the people inside to react to threats from all sides. Additionally, the turret of Bradley makes it difficult to just put up a rear hatch and fight from the compartment (for the dismounts). Bradleys would have to…what’s the word…well, every other gun points left or right for overwatch, that kind of stuff.
–Tanks intimidate the population and reinforce the perception of occupation. Again, they alienate us from them more than we already are.
Then again, the Humvee inspires courage for an insurgent attacker, since he can actually blow one up for a change…
A couple of things. First: FBCB2 is an intranet — but it’s more commonly known as “Blue Force Tracker” which is a critical component. That’s the one showing you where all friendly vehicles are, where identified enemies & vehciles are, etc. Very useful — Link-16 is the fighter pilot’s counterpart.
Second, Charles is dead-on. It’s the M114 Hummer that’s the pork feed-bucket. The problem is its FLAT bottom. That = mine-blast trap. In contrast, the South African RG-31 and Cougar/Buffalo variants have “V-Hulls” which as you might imagine deflect the blast off to the sides and away. Australia’s Bushmaster patrol vehicles have this too, and the net effect is that they’re way more survivable against mines.
There is no foolproof armor, of course. But the right kind, integrated into the design as well as slapped on, can make a great difference.
I wish to think you for the 1114 Vehicle. It was a vehicle that was full of exploes blow up about two feet from my 1114. My vehicle was just passing it. The VCIED was gone but for the front wheels, my vehicle was damage and with only two small injuries myself being one and my gunner. This was the three time my vehicle was hit by IED’s and one vehicle bomb. Both times my vehicle was repaired and back in the fire after two days. I wish to think you and my wife for this vehicle.
I tried to point the mouse in front of the open spaced, magic happened, in my eyes is a wearing armor riding a bird in the above figures. RO I became the most incredible world in my eyes. I first arrived in RO, I did not know anything. Wave played on the four with me. First time I knew that the world of RF was also can sit aircraft, fight monster, and earn ragnarok zeny. I always behind with the wave, sometimes clearly in front of him, I would be with the people lost, and then he will be very angry to say that he did not play with me, behind with people also can lost. There almost every time we went out to play, I would be very unfortunate to kill the monster, related to the wave also was killed. Every such times, he would very angry and said he did not play with me, played with me always die.
So I take my all cheap kamas to help you, because it is unworthy much money.
With an entire family of such characters to develop, players will finally get to buy vis experience the sort of MMORPG gameplay they have been craving for years.
In the two years I made many good friends also spend much money to buy the Archlord gold, but I do not have a little sad, because I make many good friends, they are very kindliness.
In fact I think in the game the most important was not the fiesta Gold or the upgrade, in my mind play with friends and get more friendship were the most important.
because he always play the game, so we often together to play and chat and discuss how to earn the 2moon dil, at that day I told him, I liked him, but he did not say anything, I was very sad, unknowingly the tears streaming down.