Top commanders in Afghanistan have further tightened restrictions on the use of vulnerable vehicles after roadside bomb attacks that have killed eight U.S. soldiers since late May.

The new rules come as attacks from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have spiked to record levels and insurgents create ever more lethal bombs.

One of those bombs killed five soldiers June 7 when it destroyed their Humvee in eastern Afghanistan.

The Humvee's fatal flaw, a 2008 Pentagon inspector general's report found, is that its "flat bottom, low weight, low ground clearance and aluminum body" leave it vulnerable to IEDs buried in roads. Military officials had known of that weakness since 1994, according to the report.

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BAGRAM, Afghanistan - -- The U.S. military's new all-terrain vehicle doesn't look all that different from its lumbering predecessor. It's painted desert sand, and reaching the cabin still means climbing a couple of steps.

On Afghanistan's rough dirt roads, however, the new $500,000-to-$1 million Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All Terrain Vehicle is a major improvement over the massive Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle it's replacing, soldiers say. The new vehicle is tailored to Afghanistan, and the Pentagon is sending about 5,000 of them to the battlefield.

For soldiers who had grown accustomed to bruising trips through rural Afghanistan, their first M-ATVs, which have just been introduced in the field, were an early Christmas present. Seemingly without effort, the vehicles climb mountains at angles that approach 45 degrees, and they glide across rocky roads.

The M-ATV's lighter frame can maneuver through Afghanistan's lawless traffic much better than the MRAP.

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CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – The Heavy Equipment Transporter slowly and deliberately weaves back and forth between the barriers and cones down the dark and dusty road as its operator gains familiarity and experience with the giant vehicular system that plays a vital role in the U.S. Army's current responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq today.

The behemoths creak and squeal as they carry large vehicles and heavy loads through the 296th Transportation Company's training lanes. Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hannah of Jacksonville, Florida, is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the HET training lanes. 

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(UPI) Conventional mine-deterrent vehicles deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan should see continued use despite plans for next-generation vehicles, a review says.

The next generation of mine-deterrent vehicles, the mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles, M-ATV, arrived in Afghanistan just three months after the Pentagon awarded its contract for the vehicle.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington the M-ATV deployment was an indication that U.S. forces "can deploy rapidly and operate more independently" because of its technological achievements.

A report on Military.com, a U.S. defense forum, says that while the deployment of the M-ATV is in line with the modernization plans for U.S. forces, the military must find uses for the current MRAPs purchased for Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Via Where I Live:


AN Australian designed and built personnel carrier/multi-purpose vehicle called the Thales Hawkei is in the running to pick up a Defence Department contract to replace existing and outdated army Land Rovers. 

The current machines do not offer adequate protection from land mines and other explosive devices increasingly being used against our forces. 

Thales has built a “mock-up” of the Hawkei in an attempt to persuade Defence Department procurement to look local before placing an order with a US company for 1300 new multi- purpose vehicles. 

Hawkei is a protected light mobility vehicle far more advanced than the Land Rover and said to be ahead of its US competition. 


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The U.S. Army and Marine Corps’ long-term solution to their light tactical vehicle needs — the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle — is on track to hit all of its milestones, according to program managers who spoke with reporters Oct. 6 at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington.

“The trucks are about a third of the way through the 27-month TD [technology development] phase, and we’ve been through the preliminary design reviews,” says Kevin Fahey, program executive officer, combat support & combat service support. “Over the next couple months we’re going to do the Critical Design Reviews,” with more the first week of October, and two more in November.

Fahey said that between now and the end of the year, the plan is for the three remaining contractors in the competition to submit their armor coupons and ballistics, and early next year in April/ May is when they will get the prototype vehicles with about a year of testing on them.

Check out the full story on AVIATION WEEK.

Tanks, helicopters and other military vehicles were out on display at the McEntire Air National Guard Station for the Air and Ground Expo, hosted by the state’s National Guard on Oct. 10 and 11.

The public event gave the public an opportunity to see all the hardware that defines our military. Some of the vehicles displayed were used in previous conflicts, such as the Vietnam War and World War II.

“This went through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and has gone through a few upgrades since 1966,” retired Sgt. Maj. Vernie Nance said as he pointed to an AN-IF Cobra Attack Helicopter.


Via The Daily Gamecock.

FORT BLISS -- They look like monster trucks from -- or for -- hell.

Their bumpers are dented and have rust forming in the cavities, and there are scratches on the radiator covers. But three Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, the first of their kind to be assigned to Fort Bliss, received high praise from soldiers who have served in combat zones.

U.S. companies have been struggling to build the vehicles, called MRAPs, fast enough to meet the demand in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they provide lifesaving protection against roadside bombs. Compared with armored Humvees, they seem nearly indestructible.

"You can drive an MRAP over anything," said Spc. Antonio Orozco, who recently returned from Iraq, where he rode in convoys that included the heavily armored vehicles. "I personally have not seen the hull on an MRAP compromised."

During his tour, he saw them withstand 500-pound bombs, multiple improvised explosive devices, a roll over and the collapse of a 30-foot-tall concrete tower.

"I've never seen anything get through it," Orozco said.

Orozco also likes the MRAP because of the wide back door, which allows quick pickup of wounded soldiers.

"If a medical unit is using it, you can put litters in the back," said Matthew Balsley, who also served a tour of duty in Iraq.

[via El Paso Times]

Oshkosh Defense recently demonstrated the latest in unmanned ground vehicle technology at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center at Fort Hood, Texas.

Oshkosh Defense is an industry leader in the development of autonomous vehicle technology. The Oshkosh TerraMax autonomous vehicle system incorporates the latest in advanced robotic hardware and software.

The Oshkosh Command Zone electronics system provides a drive-by-wire capability, which allows intelligent computer control of steering, acceleration, braking, and transmission.

The IBEO LUX laser scanner offers enhanced sensing capabilities as part of the light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system for 360-degree obstacle detection. The laser scanner's low-profile packaging reduces the visual signature of the sensors on the vehicle, allowing the vehicle to blend in more seamlessly within the military's fleets.

The Perception Capabilities Demonstrator technology system is also able to render imagery from a previously driven route alongside real-time data, allowing a human operator to analyze the scene for changes and quickly identify potential threats such as IEDs. Future developments of this emerging technology will focus on improved localization for autonomous operations in varied environments, including areas with little or no GPS coverage.

[via CNET]

Most of the damage to American soldiers in Afghanistan is done with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). These roadside bombs have proven to be a plague to U.S. and coalition troops, who load into convoys of mine-resistant heavy vehicles, called MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), that were designed to protect troops from blasts. The Pentagon, aided by an influx of Congressional funds, went on an MRAP-buying spree when Humvees in Iraq became targets of choice for insurgents. But the family of MRAPs produced for the Iraq war is not well-suited for Afghanistan. The vehicles' suspensions cannot handle the lack of paved roads. Top-heavy with armor, the vehicles can tip, especially along the steep, winding paths that lead to rural villages.

[via Popular Mechanics]