Archive for the ‘Land’ Category
Fleet of ‘double-V hull’ Strykers growing in Afghanistan
Two hundred of the double-V hulls are now in Afghanistan, with more slated to arrive in coming months, according to Lori Grein, a public affairs officer with the Project Executive Office-Ground Combat Systems. There are almost no flat-bottom Strykers left in Afghanistan, Grein said; most have been replaced by the double-V hulls…
Soldiers who swap the older Strykers for double-V hulls notice few differences.
“Ergonomically speaking they have kept everything the same,” said Wood, 25, of Oakfield, N.Y., who patrols regularly in a double-V hull out of Combat Outpost Talukan in Kandahar province. “All the changes they have made are behind the scenes.”
Tech. Sgt. Sam Pastor fires an Mk48 Sept. 10, 2011, at the off-base firing range near Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan. Pastor is a vehicle maintainer with the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane)
That seems to be very un-pastor-like activity. (Murdoc’s here all week, folks…)
Airmen load a tank into a C-5M Super Galaxy Nov. 15, 2011, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The C-5M is the upgraded version of the C-5 Galaxy and has a 30 percent shorter take off roll, 58 percent faster climb rate and allows significantly more cargo to be carried over longer distances. (U.S. Air Force photo/Roland Balik)
Two M-1 Abrams tanks from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., are loaded in the cargo area of a C-5M Super Galaxy assigned to Dover Air Force Base, Del. The C-5M currently holds 42 world aviation records in airlift. The modernized version of the C-5, the Super Galaxy has 70 improvements, including new GE CF6 engines providing 22 percent more thrust and cutting climb time in half. New lighting in the cargo area increases safety of loading and offloading cargo. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Chad E. Gibson)
A Stryker armored fighting vehicle gets upgraded and modified by the General Dynamics team at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Nov. 23. The rocket-propelled grenade grill, which causes RPGs to detonate away from the Stryker, is installed among other upgrades that increase survivability and lethality. Photo by Spc. Ryan Hallock
Story: Strykers get upgrades, modifications at JBLM by patriotic crew
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Ray Mabus fires an AGS-17, Russian 30mm automatic grenade launcher at the Krtsanisi Training Area weapons firing range. Mabus visited the facility to thank the Sailors and Marines providing support to the Georgian military and meet with senior government and military officials to discuss global maritime partnerships and security matters. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Sam Shavers/Released)
Marines from the Assault Amphibious Schools Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., practice maneuvering amphibious assault vehicles into the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme RIchard (LHD 6). (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane/Released)
That appears to be a AAVR-7A1 recovery variant of the Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) with crane, winches, and other recovery gear.
Afghan National Army Special Forces candidates conduct a training exercise at the Commando School of Excellence, Kabul province, Afghanistan, Oct. 29, 2011. (DoD photo by Pfc. Matthew Minkema, U.S. Army/Released)
See also Afghan Commandos.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cristobal Galindo, a joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) with the 807th Expeditionary Air Support Squadron, prepares the radios in a mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle before a mission in Afghanistan Oct. 12, 2011. JTACs embedded with and provided Army ground maneuver units expertise in planning and controlling combat air resources. Galindo provided ground commanders with direct communications to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and combat close air support aircraft. (DoD photo by Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen, U.S. Air Force/Released)
A few years back, I posted a picture of some Swedish troops and their CV90s at Fort Irwin.
One of the troops emailed me and sent a couple more pics, but I “lost” the email until I was sorting through some folders recently. So, better late than never, here they are:
Swedish CV90-40C advancing through the Mojave Desert
Swedish CV90-40Cs line up outside Ft. Irwin, CA
The photos were taken by vehicle commander Sgt. Otto Tuvesson.
Brigade leaving Strykers behind
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, is readying for a deployment to Afghanistan in December, and it will leave its fleet of roughly 300 eight-wheeled Strykers at home.
Instead, about 3,000 soldiers from the brigade will drive a mix of armored vehicles that are already in Afghanistan, such as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and its all-terrain variety, the M-ATV.
I didn’t realize they were not taking their Strykers. While some might wonder what the point of Stryker Brigade without Strykers is, it’s important to remember that the key force in a Stryker brigade are the soldiers. They Strykers are their transport and support vehicles.
And, given the issues that those vehicles (and the similar LAVs used by Canadian forces) have faced in Afghanistan, it’s probably not the end of the world. Depending on where they’re going to be operating and what they’re going to be doing, using MRAPs and M-ATVs could be much better anyway.
However,
They prepared for their deployment in August at California’s National Training Center, where they used Strykers.
This fall, drivers throughout the brigade are getting a condensed course on how to drive MRAPs and M-ATVs. Few of the vehicles are available for training because the Defense Department sent most of them directly to Iraq and Afghanistan.
This could be a bit worrisome if they aren’t completely up to speed on using the alternative vehicles and operating without the support of the Strykers.
