Latest
News |
Most
Read |
Hot
Topics |
March 23, 2003
There is one new American armored vehicle in Iraq that was not there in 1991. It's the six ton, four wheel ASV-150 (Armored Security Vehicle.) Introduced, for military police work, in 2002, its major job has been convoy protection and showing some muscle when the locals get unruly. As such it's been popular for peacekeeping missions. Being a wheeled vehicle, it can hit about 100 kilometers an hour on the road. It's 20.5 feet long, 8.4 feet wide and 8.4 feet high. That's because the ASV has a turret with a 40mm automatic grenade launcher and a 12.7mm machine-gun. There's a three man crew. The vehicle has high tech armor that is supposed to give excellent protection against most bullets and shell fragments. The army only bought an initial batch of 94 (at $1.6 million each) and is not, at the moment, interested in any more. But providing convoy protection in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq might change minds. Or not.
|
