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Posted on 08/22/2007 9:57:37 AM PDT by Clive
It wasn’t too far into the Afghanistan mission that the CF realized soldiers on the ground needed more protection than what was afforded by the G-Wagon, and a LAV III could not be assigned to all tasks.
Early in 2006, the CF purchased 50 armoured patrol vehicles (APV), with the option to buy 25 more from Land Systems OMC (Olifant Manufacturing Company) in South Africa. They were quickly deployed to Afghanistan to help reduce the threat of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). So fast in fact, they literally went from the bidding process to the battlefield in five months. This extremely fast delivery is no doubt saving the lives of some of our soldiers.
To date, all 75 have been delivered, with the total cost being approximately $100 million. The price included 18 spare remote weapon stations (RWS), and two years worth of parts.
The APV is commonly referred to as the RG-31 or Nyala, and this type of vehicle is not new to the CF. It has been utilized as a route proving vehicle in such theatres as Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Eritrea. You may know it from its previous name the Mamba, that pre-dated today’s APV. The Nyala had a proven track record in different climates and terrains, and the new APV fills the void between the G-Wagon and LAV III.
There have been some growing pains. The first 50 APV’s only had 120 amp alternators, which could not support the air conditioning, RWS, radios and the jammers used to disrupt improvised attacks. These were soon replaced with the 280 amp alternators.
So, has this vehicle proven it’s worth?
On September 26, 2006, a suicide bomber attacked a Canadian convoy in Afghanistan. A minivan filled with explosives detonated trying to ram the APV. The outcome: nobody killed or injured. The van on the other hand, was a twisted wreck. The APV was able to make it back to base under its own power, with a flat tire and cracked armoured glass the only visible signs of damage. The CF suffered its first fatality involving the APV on October 7, 2006 after the RWS gunner was killed when an IED went off beside the vehicle.
The RWS is made by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, and is aptly named the Protector M151. The primary weapons are the C6 or the .50 Cal machine-gun. As well, this platform has night vision capability with daytime zoom cam and a laser range finder and eight smoke dischargers. It will soon come with a stabilizer system, designed to keep the gun on target while moving. The stab system, using gyros and new software should be delivered sometime this fall. Not to leave the passengers out of the battle, the Nyala also comes with gun ports in its armour glass.
The APV is built to withstand a mine explosion under the wheels and under the vehicle. It is the V-Shaped hull that makes the APV work against landmines and in some cases IEDs so effectively. This allows the blast to move upwards with little resistance offered to contain the blast. The wheels, and technically the whole axle are designed to blow off easily, also letting blast escape without jarring the vehicle.
New improvements are also scheduled for the APV this fall.
Nothing is 100 percent effective in defending against mines and IEDs, but Canada has not wasted any time in procuring the best equipment possible to protect our soldiers, and doing so with record-breaking speed.
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The AWFUL truth to war is that you can not armor up enough. It is far easier to increase the destructive capability of the bomb than the resistive ability of the bunker. If you increase the armor by 50 percent, all the bomber has to do is double the size of the bomb.
Armor should be the last resort ... the last line of defense against the attack that was not stopped through carrying the fight to the enemy, destroying his personnel and logistics, gathering intelligence, and conducting civil operations and patrols.
G-wagen still is leaps and bounds above the POS Iltis...
Too bad it wasn’t invented here, or we would have them.
‘Course Cadallac Guage used to make some good wheeled stuff.....
The Iltis vehicles that have been replaced by the G wagon are going to be left in Afghanistan for whatever use can be made of them by the Afghans.
It was simply not worth the effort and money to bring them back and hand them over to Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for sale.
FR WAR NEWS!
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