Posted on 05/29/2011 9:58:54 AM PDT by Heuristic Hiker
The experimental four-legged, pack-hauling robots aren’t gonna be ready for duty at the front anytime soon. So the Army is considering a big step backward in front-line logistics.
In place of the ultra-sophisticated BigDog cargo ‘bots that have been slowly trudging their way through the development process, the ground-combat branch wants more flesh-and-blood mules and donkeys. The Army is even considering the revival of a long-defunct headquarters, the “Animal Corps,” to oversee the four-legged recruits.
The goal is to take some of the weight off soldiers’ backs during long war-zone foot patrols. In Afghanistan, it’s not uncommon for soldiers to carry 100 pounds of gear, even when they’re scaling mountains.
If everything works out, the future Army could look a lot like the Army of the 19th century, with trains of braying, kicking mules trailing behind the foot soldiers as they stomp through fields, slog through streams and wheeze up steep hillsides. As in the Army of the 1800s, teams of specially trained veterinarians and animal handlers would ensure the combat mules stayed battle-ready.
The idea for a 21st-century Animal Corps was publicly broached by Jim Overholt, a scientist with the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, based outside Detroit. “Maybe it would be better to go back” to the days of institutionalized real-life pack mules, Overholt said at an industry conference in Washington, D.C. this week.
Francis the Talking Mule Redux.
I think sending Democrat donkeys over to Afghanistan to help carry the load is a great idea.
“The experimental four-legged, pack-hauling robots aren’t gonna be ready for duty at the front anytime soon.”
Yes, but they are making progress:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww
How much will the mule cost when supplied by Lockheed on a cost plus contract, when R&D is factored in?
The US Army used mules in WWII, I believe in both Sicily and Italy. Pretty useful in rugged terrain.
How about more choppers-less humping.
LOL!
This story reminded me of this article penned a short 15 days after 9/11/01:
"What Will Happen In Afghanistan?"
Interesting analysis, and IMHO, worth going back for a re-read in light of all that's happened in the interim.
Lets bring back the cavalry! add camels now that we are in the middle east and mules too! Why not— they can be cheap and run on hay not gas.
The higher a chopper flies the less load it can carry.
It is also very hard to hide a chopper. They can be seen from long distances. They tend to make a lot of noise. It is hard to find a rock big enough to hide one behind when you are taking fire.
They aren’t really talking about using thousands of mules for everyday cargo handling but for long foot patrols, for long recon missions where the mission precludes mechanized load carrying and resupply by air would be impractical or jeopardize the mission.
Remember Francis the Talking Mule?
My all-time favorite military rank: Pferd Führer.
I can hear the howls from the A-R types already !! >PS
“Lets bring back the cavalry! add camels now that we are in the middle east and mules too!”
There once was a Camel Corps in the US Army.
It was an experiment in the Southwest conducted in the 1850s by President Franklin Pierce’s Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. (Yes, that Jeff Davis). Camels were brought over from the mideast and based in Camp Verde, Texas.
The Civil War ended the experiment. Some of the camels escaped and wild camels were spotted well into the 20th century.
Camels were also based in Fort Tejon in California. The animals were hated by the US troopers but served well against the Native Americans.
“The animals were hated by the US troopers but served well against the Native Americans”
Apparently the camels also spooked the mules and horses of the cavalry which made the experiment not entirely satisfactory.
My great grandfather was a veterinarian for the Mo. Pacific railroad. He kept the mules healthy.
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