Posted on 06/10/2006 8:48:35 PM PDT by Clive
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Like proud teenagers polishing a muscle car, Canadian troops are showing off their modern battle-proven armoured vehicles to envious foreign comrades.
A delegation of top Romanian generals were given a personal tour of an LAV III and a Nyala by the Canadian soldiers who drive them.
The Romanians, whose troops drive around Afghanistan in old Soviet-era BTR armoured personnel carriers, wanted to see for themselves the gear that has protected Canadian troops from mines, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
"It has a top speed of over 100 kilometres an hour," enthused Master Cpl. Matthew Parsons of the Edmonton-based 1 Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
"One of our LAV's withstood six RPG hits. Everywhere we go the Taliban pack up their stuff and get out of town."
Parsons' enthusiasm prompted Lt.-Gen. Florian Pinta, deputy chief of the Romanian general staff, to crawl deep into the hold of the 13-tonne LAV to check out its gear, getting dust and dirt onto his crisp uniform.
The Romanian general did everything but kick the eight sturdy tires as a gaggle of aides took notes and looked on.
While the LAV may have speed, manoeuvrability and utility, Pinta was also taken by the Nyala which, while less fleet of foot, has gained a reputation for being almost impervious to roadside bombs.
Canada recently ordered 25 more of the vehicles to add to its fleet of 50.
Pinta was obviously envious of the Canadians' gear.
While a handful of LAV IIIs and Nyalas have been attacked, few have been seriously disabled with loss of life.
Later this summer, most of Pinta's Romanian troops will be shifted from providing perimeter security inside the wire at the Kandahar base to conducting dangerous patrols in remote areas in nearby Zabul province.
"These are very good vehicles," said Pinta. "Unfortunately, we don't have the money. But we hope in the future to improve our capabilities. In this theatre, such vehicles are very important."
Lt.-Col. Ian Hope, commander of the battle group in Kandahar, said he can remember when it was the Canadians who were saddled with old equipment.
With the bolstered but limited number of troops the international coalition will have for this summer's campaign, quality gear will help them punch above their weight.
"The Canadian unit here is the most capable in Afghanistan," Hope said. "We have more capability, more agility, more reach."
As the officers walked away from the vehicle display, a few junior ranking Canadian soldiers looked on.
For Pte. Shaun Felix, driving the Nyala is simply about feeling safe when he rolls through the wire on patrol.
"My confidence level is 100 per cent," said Felix, who is from Edmonton.
"I've got plenty of things to worry about when I'm on the outside. Riding in something safe like this really puts my mind at ease."
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Who makes these vehicles and why haven't we bought 4000 of them?
ping for future.
It's not a Candadian GM product?
The Nyala is South African in origin and the US Marine Corps and the US Army are starting to employ them with the EOD teams in Iraq. They are part of a whole class of wheeled vehicles that are gaining a lot of attention due to the fact that their v-shaped undercarriage helps deflect the blast of a bomb away from the passenger compartment and also prevents an air pocket from tossing the vehicle into the air.
There is significant debate on the issue of just how great these wheeled wonders are.
The problem is that the Canadian version of this vehicle is manufactured by Red Greene. :^)
40 psi ground pressure ain't gonna get you far off road.
Hey, nothing's perfect. I'm just saying if the guys in theater are driving around all cockey, then these things are worth whatever they cost. The only things this conservative doesn't flinch at when tax dollars are spent are a) a pile of dead jihadis and b) an LAV full of safe troops.
The LAV III is developed from the PIRANHA III which was developed by Mowag Motorwagenfabriken of Switzerland, now part of General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems. The Canadian model is manufacturered by General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada a (formerly General Motors Defense).
Canadian Forces at Kandahar also use the G Wagon which has also been purchased by the US Marine Corps. These are well armoured but not as heavily as the Hummer. They are more suitable for light infantry such as Canada's and the USMC because they are easier to airlift than the Hummer. Military equipment always involves of trade-offs
I can certainly understand the enthusiasm of these soldiers. You should see the crap that the light infantry were using to patrol above the Khyber Pass on the last deployment. The Iltis vehicles then used by the light infantry are not worth shipping home to be sold by the Crown Assets Disposal Corporation. Instead, they are being left in Afghanistan to be used for whatever purpose the Afghans may wish to make of them.
The cavalry is mounted on the state-of-the-art Coyote Recce vehicle. The Lord Strathcona Horse (Royal Canadian) squadrons equipped with these vehicles and their advanced surveillance equipment were in great demand by the US and Brit commanders in the Kosovo job and served well above Kabul in the last Afghan deployment.
Looks like OSHA is out inspecting the street lights.
BTTT! It's good to see that some Canadian soldiers are getting good equipment for their great work in Afghanistan.
Well, yeah. I guess the intent with these is primarily to police in urban areas where IEDs and RPGs, not tank-killers, are the main threat.
Duct tape really is the handy man's secret weapon.
"One of our LAV's withstood six RPG hits. Everywhere we go the Taliban pack up their stuff and get out of town."
Good for the Canadians.
L
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