New vehicles allow GIs to find, remove hidden IEDs (South African vehicle)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=19651

Using recently fielded mine detection vehicles, soldiers from Company C, 489th Engineer Battalion are hunting roadside bombs similar to those that have killed and maimed dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq over the past six months.

Equipped with South African-designed vehicles — the Meerkat and the Buffalo — the Arkansas-based Army Reserve troops have taken an Army side project to the forefront in the military’s efforts to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

<snip>

Both vehicles are designed to protect soldiers from a blast, said Sgt. 1st Class Ed Fletcher, an Oklahoma native supervising the operation.

“It can take up to 20 pounds of TNT and everybody inside will survive,” Fletcher said. “The vehicle is down, but the passengers are all right.”

<snip>

At first, the Army in Iraq was not interested in manning or field-testing the new equipment, Craig said. The mine threat was minimal, and units were busy changing from combat to occupation duties, he said.

[david_vincent]

1. Only a matter of time

til they have equipment that can detect & remove IUDs.

[DivinBreuvage]

2. Wait, I thought the US had the bestest army ever!

So why do I keep hearing all these lies about French, Russian, and South African equipment?

Then there's that bulls*** about the British handling their sector better than ours. It's a good thing for them it isn't 1776 or we'd be handing their redcoat asses to them on a silver platter with some clever one-liner scrawled in chalk, like "Eat THIS spotted dick, Lizzabitch!"

(The above is sarcasm and does not reflect the way I really feel about Great Britain or the British people).

Next someone is going to tell me that it might be theoretically possible to actually defeat the US military.

[MacCovern]

3. best and perfect aren't the same

Just because the USA has the best military doesn't mean it's perfect.

[wunnerfulrobin]

5. Amen MacCovern!

Well said!
And no, our military cant be beaten, unless we all are beaten by a nuke!

[underpants]

4. I'm just glad this was thought of before anyone got hurt

nothing beats good planning....or just some planning.