Posted on 12/02/2013 12:15:00 PM PST by Rebelbase
MRAPs are just the tool for compounds with large houses on them, where the bigger revenues will be during the default process.
Hey, it’ll come in handing during the Duck 4th of July parade...that’s probably the most action it’ll see each year...
Growing up in Onslow County, I became a “rouge” sandcastle builder after only an hour in the sun.
... or you, for that matter.
As long as the road is straight and flat. They have a very high center of gravity. Get them into a high speed chase on winding roads, and they roll like bowling balls. Make them chase you on a winding road with deep canyons and the drivers will be DRT when it hits the bottom.
“...or roll through Outer Banks floodwaters.”
Yeah, until they try it on the wrong kind of surface, then they’ll mire down pretty quick.
It’s interesting how the cycle of weapons development occurs and the MRAP is a prime example of that. When we started this whole “war on terror” the military was using HMMWV’s which were not armored and were meant as simple troop transport. The Iraqi and Afghan fighters adapted by setting up IED’s to take these out (very basic stuff, just bury a hundred pounds or so of fertilizer or high explosive salvaged from warheads lying around and boom! Or just do the classic jump up, spray and pray and then beat feet.
The US responded by at first wielding armor plating to HMMWV’s but that didn’t work so well so they developed this huge semi-armored personnel carrier (MRAP) designed specifically to counter buried IED and small arms fire (interestingly the MRAP is very lightly armored on it’s roof but I guess the army figured they could save a few bucks since they always have the high ground).
So how did the insurgents respond? an amazingly simple shaped charge (basically a metal pipe around 4-6” in diameter with a slightly dished copper or iron plug with some high explosives behind it). Very effective at penetrating the armor and doing all sorts of nasty things to the occupants. They still had the problem of how to set off the charge at the right time and that’s were we get them but still we spent billions of dollars on these things (and most of them will be simply trashed in country when we leave as it’s too expensive to bring them home) and the insurgents came up with a $5 solution to defeat it.
As far as why would a LEO need one of these? no reason other than as a form of macho “look at how bad we look riding in this” kind of thing. And it makes for a great photo op every once in a while for the “war on drugs” raid. Other than that it not really practical as it’s highly unlikely that they’ll use these with machine guns blazing against rioters or protesters (a truck with a water cannon is much more effective). And if things have degraded to the point that they need this to patrol the streets then they will need way more than just this one. So in the end this is just an expensive toy (the maintenance costs have got to be through the roof) that probably won’t even be operational in a few years.
Militarized “law enforcement” is the standing army our Founders feared.
I think a gallon of ammonia poured near the air inlet to the cab puts those trucks and occupants out of action.....
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You’re being too cheap ,, a gallon of ammonia must cost near to a whole $3 ... spring for a gallon of bleach too ... not that cheap store brand 5% stuff , go to the pool store for the highly concentrated liquid chlorine or maybe some powdered “shock”...
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Not a $5 solution ... I'd work on something based on the road sensors embedded at set distances from traffic lights to determine if a vehicle is waiting or if the line of cars has grown to a number of vehicles where the light should change ..
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/question234.htm
Hey clearing paper jams and adding toner is my specialty.
The crew compartment is probably OK. I doubt the differentials could take a direct hit. A quick mission / mobility kill.
You and me are the “they” that he/she is referring to.
We know why they need something like this: for killing American peasants who don't accept the Party Line from ABCMSNBCCBSCNN, as transmitted to them from the White House.
I heard that for every can, there is a can opener.
“Not a $5 solution ... I’d work on something based on the road sensors embedded at set distances from traffic lights to determine if a vehicle is waiting or if the line of cars has grown to a number of vehicles where the light should change ..”
Don’t even bother, trust me when I say that their ability to detect these things is far better than what you might be able to come up with. The Afghan insurgents are not dumb and can be quite technically astute (as shown by their attack on that British airbase that destroyed 6 of our Harrier aircraft and killed a few of our pilots). It’s a constant game of cat and mouse that we win because we have better technology, organization, communications, intelligence and superior numbers. Police in the US succeed almost 100% of the time for the exact same reason we succeed in Afghanistan, they don’t really need this type of equipment for that. It’s a toy for the most part but also a good physiological/propaganda tool that intimidates the hell out of anyone that might be thinking of going up against them.
My local PD has these armored toys and Humvees ,,, he parks them outside for show ,, they are inside a fenced area with a roof over them but they are accessible if you feel the need and could afford possibly getting caught. As others here have noted they are for show and the psychological "mine is bigger" bullshit... They are RARELY taken out because of the cost in fuel and maintenance.. and when they are it's always some high ranking official having fun...
You want a low tech works 100% answer ... ok here it is ,, a driveby with white phosphorous or thermite from a stolen car...
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