Canadian troops unveil new weapon against IEDs

[BATMAN]

Canadian troops unveil new weapon against IEDs
Pakistan News Service - PakTribune

KANDAHAR:Canadian troops in Afghanistan have a new weapon against deadly roadside bombs. Military officials unveiled the first of their new RSD Husky armoured vehicles.

The South African-built Huskies are equipped with sophisticated metal and electronic detectors that scan roads and ditches for improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs and landmines.

Roadside bombs have become the deadliest threat facing international troops in Afghanistan.

Twenty-nine of the 71 Canadian soldiers who have died were killed by roadside bombs, 22 of them in the past year. Another 11 Canadian soldiers have died in suicide bombing attacks.

Capt. David Holsworth, of the 5th Combat Engineers Regiment based in Valcartier, Que., said that Canadian troops used to rely on their American counterparts to clear roads with this type of equipment.

However, U.S. Huskies are largely tied up clearing roads for American convoys.

"A lot of the (soldiers who were killed by IEDs)could have been saved if we had had these earlier,'' Holsworth told reporters at Kandahar Airfield. "It's extremely important.''

The Huskies look like road graders, minus the blade and with armour plate. The vehicle is built to resist the blast from underneath, with the driver seated high away from the bomb beneath.

"The section is really eager to get out there because they'll be saving their buddies,'' Holsworth said.

Military officials say the Huskies won't totally eliminate the risk of roadside bombs, but are a vast improvement over any equipment Canadians currently have.

Canada is buying 16 vehicles at a cost of $29.6 million, including six Huskies. Two of the Huskies will remain in Canada for training purposes, while the rest will be deployed in Afghanistan.

The American-built Buffalo has an arm used to dig out IEDs while the crew remains inside the heavily-armoured vehicle.

The Cougar is equipped to disable and destroy roadside bombs.

The Buffaloes and Cougars will arrive at a later date.

It has not been decided whether the Huskies will immediately begin to accompany Canadian convoys or will be deployed when the other armoured vehicles arrive.

 

[Awesome]

Have we faced any trouble with IEDs as road side bombs?

 

[BATMAN]

This was the most recent of such attacks.

Bomb kills Pakistani soldier, injures 13 in northwest
Bomb kills Pakistani soldier, injures 13 in northwest - USATODAY.com

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — A roadside bomb exploded near a military convoy in troubled northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least one soldier and injuring 13 others, officials said.
The troops were traveling from Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, to Tank, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Dera Ismail Khan, said an army official who sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job.

A local security official, who also didn't want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media, confirmed the attack, saying the dead and injured had been transported to a hospital, where some were listed in critical condition.

Army spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

Such attacks are common in North West Frontier province, where the government has deployed about 90,000 troops to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters.

PA should also consider using modern technology to teckel IED threats.

 

[Officer of Engineers]

Easiest way to avoid IEDs. Get off the roads.

 

[Awesome]

not an option in rugged mountainous terrain.

There are places along the Pak-Afghan border where even mules can't go.

Of course these days that Iraqi Armor piercing grenade is doing a lot more damage than the IEDs. I wonder how long will that take to get into Pakistan.

How do these arms to disable bombs work. When the bomb goes off, while the arm is extended, doesn't it blow the arm away?

 

[acidwolf]

Have we faced any trouble with IEDs as road side bombs?

we did a lot every third incident is coz of road side bombing

 

[Always Neutral]

Does Pakistan have any similiar vehicles ?

 

[Officer of Engineers]

not an option in rugged mountainous terrain.

There are places along the Pak-Afghan border where even mules can't go.

What's the point of planting IEDs here?

Of course these days that Iraqi Armor piercing grenade is doing a lot more damage than the IEDs. I wonder how long will that take to get into Pakistan.

Just another version of BIP, you should have those already.

How do these arms to disable bombs work. When the bomb goes off, while the arm is extended, doesn't it blow the arm away?

Really depends on the ordnance being disposed off. Napalm just burns while C4 will take a chunk off.

 

[BATMAN]

Does Pakistan have any similiar vehicles ?

Even if they may have still all incedents of IED explosions happened during transportation not during patrolling.
Soldiers will always be transported on trucks.

Easiest way to avoid IEDs. Get off the roads.

While travelling hundereds of kilometers it is nearly impossible to go off road.

I'm confused about the motive of the people who attack PA but clearly as a result such acts compells PA to fight back with illusive enemy.
Yes, some times I really feel that all those explosions are instruments to force PakArmy to stay put in a war on terror.

 

[Officer of Engineers]

While travelling hundereds of kilometers it is nearly impossible to go off road.

IEDs are planted where there is a predictable enemy movement. You have to deny that predictability.

 

[Awesome]

What's the point of planting IEDs here?

It's not easy getting off the road. You need those few roads to get from point A to B.

 

[Officer of Engineers]

That's not what you said. You've said that there are places where mules don't go.

However, even given your current scenario. You still have to get off road. Even when planting IEDs, there's no choice in the matter. You cannot make it obvious that you've dug a hole in the middle of the road.

In the cases of lethality, we're talking about two 122mm howitzer shells. That's not easy to carry nor plant. I am not going to describe possible triggers but you have to make sure the proper targets are the ones that causes the triggers, not some animals or worst your own side.

That takes time and if the road is used often, it means you don't have that time. It would be damned obvious to any patrol on that road if you spent more than a few hours digging at the side of the road.

So, it goes both ways.