Claymore Armed US Airforce M113

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[LineDoggie]

Yep, I said that right, the USAF is using a M113 Variant at Camp Bucca Iraq armed with Claymore Mines in boxes on the outside, take a Look at the Pic:





Enhanced M113A3 Rapid Entry Vehicle, based on a Canadian Design. uses Canadian Tracks as well. It has Armored Windows with Firing Ports and can be fitted with a dozer blade also.

They Claymore has 680 Grams of C4 backing the 700 1/8" steel ball matrix so the Crew must get one hell of an excedrine headache after firing all 6 Claymores


My first reaction was WTF as well.......

[Covertness]

Don't think I'd trust the Aluminum "armor" on one of those things to stop/control the backblast of a claymore.  Especially considering that the gas tank for the thing lines one of the sides.  I'd also worry about throwing a track but that would be secondary to the backblast spalling the interior of the vehicle.

[LineDoggie]

On the A3 Variant the Fuel tanks are located on both sides of the rear ramp. Those Overhangs are armored fuel cells to replace the single one that used to be inside in the left rear (They can, and are being retrofitted to many A2's as well).My units M113's in Baghdad not only had the Steel but Cage armor as well


Normally the A3 has hard Kevlar spall liners as well over the inside cargo areas but the Armored Windows mean their removal. The A3 also has Steel Laminate Armor on the sides, belly, and Glacis as well. I agree though I would not want to be the first guy to hit the M57 Clacker on this thing while inside....

[LTG]

Yep, I said that right, the USAF is using a M113 Variant at Camp Bucca Iraq armed with Claymore Mines in boxes on the outside, take a Look at the Pic:





Enhanced M113A3 Rapid Entry Vehicle, based on a Canadian Design. uses Canadian Tracks as well. It has Armored Windows with Firing Ports and can be fitted with a dozer blade also.

They Claymore has 680 Grams of C4 backing the 700 1/8" steel ball matrix so the Crew must get one hell of an excedrine headache after firing all 6 Claymores


My first reaction was WTF as well.......

From Stratgey Page (http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/2008213233944.aspx):

Senior Airman Travis Hummel (standing) and Airman 1st Class Adam Giebitz patrol Feb. 10 in an M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier at the Theater Internment Facility at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Airmen Hummel and Giebitz are deployed from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and are assigned to the 886th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron's quick response force. The QRF responds to issues within the TIF in which a show of force or escalation of force is required beyond the capabilities for the TIF's guard force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Jason McCree)

Take note of the claymores on the side of the vehicle.

The M-113 variant makes sense for its purpose as a Theater Internment Facility (a.k.a/ prison camp) vehicle.  Crowd control & show of force or escalation of force is needed fast. 

The Sheriff / Striker vehicle uses an expolsive based pellet system too called Trophy Active Defense System (ADS).

[vftb]

Being just an old "bridge pussy" some of this stuff really amazes me  .  The other thing that amazes me is the stuff you can find on Youtube.  Good posts, all 

[AbnJack]

The fuel tanks on 113 based vehicles have been mounted on the rear like that for quite awhile. From what I remember they were designed to blow away without damaging the vehicle. My FISTV and the ITVs both had them for sure, I can't really remember if the plain 113s did or not.

I wouldn't want to be in one when those claymores went off either. The Trophy system sound very interesting. Curious to see what it's like in a few more generations

[vftb]

Curious to see what it's like in a few more generations

Someone will install jammers in projectiles to defeat the system.  Then, they'll come up with something to override the jammers; on and on it goes, ain't the free market system wonderful 

[LTG]

Good info and history of the M 113A1 Armored Personnel Carrier:



http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m113.htm

[EX-CG-GM]

Sometimes when I look at some of the more......uh, "innovative" things that get developed, I get a mental image of a bunch of good old boys sitting in the backroom at a Lockheed-Martin, Boeing or Honeywell facility after a 6 beer lunch saying....."Hey, y'know what would be cool........?"

 

[AbnJack]

I see they got a few more mph out of the A3. That was one of the things I hated, the maneuver unit taking off  and leaving us in the dust.

[Covertness]

Thanks for the update LineDoggie.  M-113s in my day were pieces of ****. 

[Purplesuiter]

The "thinkers" have been toying with the idea of mounting replaceable 4x6 boxes similar to claymores on all flat surfaces of armored vehicles.  The boxes would have a built in sensor which would fire the closest box at an incoming PRG and detonate it up to 6 meters from the vehicle.