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The Army’s new infantry assault buggy is a useless garbage pile

Or you could look at these things as belonging to the CQ and load them up with water, fuel and bullets, hang the rucks from the sides and have the troops clamber in on top and ride until they have to drop off.

Then the vehicles will be a bound behind the troops, moving at black caddy pace. CQs guys might even have room enough to swing an MG while mounted.

That's exactly what we used the BVs for in Norway.

Worked great except that now you have the need to protect the 'baggage train' which, as the Coy 2IC, became my role (along with a whingeing CQ & storeman, drivers, and signallers) ;).
 
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People are stupid.
You seem surprised by this...

It does sound like someone had an idea...then (it seems) someone decided to test that idea using apples instead of oranges with intent to make that idea look stupid. If they're just looking for a little green thing to move green humanoids and not much else, well they got it, but it seems that they decided to have cavalry folks test this thing like it's a cavalry vehicle instead of light infantry - who know damn well (I hope) they're not going to bum rush a fortified position in a dune buggy and expect to come out on top.
 
But how do you read your mactac map without a red light on the prairie?
With a 655nm wavelength flashlight…the green plastic 90° std mil flashlights usually come with them too…just that Hollywood taught everyone that red was tactically cool. 😉
 
People are stupid.

It's a Team Vehicle, or a Squad Mobility Assistance Vehicle - you can't get a whole entire Squad in it, and it wasn't designed for that.
It really isn't a bad vehicle when used to there role it was designed - but apparently none of the testers, or the trials staff have a clue what that was.


Useless vehicle -- to small to be a Light Utility Vehicle, and woefully underpowered -
LOL, they were just mad they had to walk.

The entire point of these vehicles is to get you from Point A to Point B where you can dismount and proceed on foot to the attack position.

Looks like a great vehicle for getting to a debussing point, deploying cut offs or conducting pursuit operations. Even better if they put a Mk40 and a few GPMGs on it.

I think this article summarizes the issues at hand and misconception perfectly:


The MPV/MRAP is not an IFV, but infantrymen can engage the enemy with their weapons from these vehicles. Additionally, these vehicles often make use of a turret-mounted weapon such as a 12,7mm or a 20mm machine gun. The function of the MPV/MRAP is to transport troops to a debussing point from where the troops will locate and engage the enemy on foot. As such, these vehicles remain within the realm of motorised infantry and are vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and heavy machine guns.
 
LOL, they were just mad they had to walk.

The entire point of these vehicles is to get you from Point A to Point B where you can dismount and proceed on foot to the attack position.

Looks like a great vehicle for getting to a debussing point, deploying cut offs or conducting pursuit operations. Even better if they put a Mk40 and a few GPMGs on it.

I think this article summarizes the issues at hand and misconception perfectly:


What they really need is something like:

Born and Bred in Austria
First produced in 1941, the Steyr Type 1500A/01 was a light truck design used to carry military personnel. It was chosen to be one of the vehicles to be produced under the Schell Plan, which sought to standardize German vehicle production to increase efficiency. The Steyr was powered by an air-cooled 8-cylinder engine with 85hp, and could carry up to 8 passengers. With its rugged suspension and 4WD, the truck had excellent off-road capabilities and could also travel at up to 100km/h on-road. A total of 12,450 were produced until 1944 and served on every front that the German army fought in.

1643397286490.png


 
It would be fine if it was tracked, had nine inches of reactive armour, seating in the back for twelve, a deflector shield, 120mm smooth bore canon, and a full spread of photon torpedoes. A/C and a cappuccino machine would be nice, too.
 
It would be fine if it was tracked, had nine inches of reactive armour, seating in the back for twelve, a deflector shield, 120mm smooth bore canon, and a full spread of photon torpedoes. A/C and a cappuccino machine would be nice, too.
LOL, so every Section is now issued a Merkava Tank Mk2060! Why didn't we think of that!
 
Or you could look at these things as belonging to the CQ and load them up with water, fuel and bullets, hang the rucks from the sides and have the troops clamber in on top and ride until they have to drop off.

Then the vehicles will be a bound behind the troops, moving at black caddy pace. CQs guys might even have room enough to swing an MG while mounted.

That's exactly what we used the BVs for in Norway.

Worked great except that now you have the need to protect the 'baggage train' which, as the Coy 2IC, became my role (along with a whingeing CQ & storeman, drivers, and signallers) ;).

"Until they have to drop off" From 1:00 to 2:00

 
That's exactly what we used the BVs for in Norway.

Worked great except that now you have the need to protect the 'baggage train' which, as the Coy 2IC, became my role (along with a whingeing CQ & storeman, drivers, and signallers) ;).

It's a time/space issue.
If you have the time, you can make the space ;)

For some units - putting them at a 3per Squad would make sense -- it provides a mobile LIGHT patrol vehicle - so the entire force is mobile.
In other roles it makes sense for 1/Squad where it isn't totally a mobility vehicle but a support vehicle - in that it can carry Squad Gear, but the entire Squad isn't mounted.

It isn't a JLTV, nor IFV, its a Light Utility Vehicle - a Soft Skin, so it's not a good Weapons Platform - unless the platform is ranged to be out of the direct fire ability of the expected enemy.

Honestly I view this exactly like a BV 206, and other Mission/Terrain Specific Platforms.
 
It's a time/space issue.
If you have the time, you can make the space ;)

For some units - putting them at a 3per Squad would make sense -- it provides a mobile LIGHT patrol vehicle - so the entire force is mobile.
In other roles it makes sense for 1/Squad where it isn't totally a mobility vehicle but a support vehicle - in that it can carry Squad Gear, but the entire Squad isn't mounted.

It isn't a JLTV, nor IFV, its a Light Utility Vehicle - a Soft Skin, so it's not a good Weapons Platform - unless the platform is ranged to be out of the direct fire ability of the expected enemy.

Honestly I view this exactly like a BV 206, and other Mission/Terrain Specific Platforms.

Exactly.

We used the BVs like battle taxis. If we needed to mount a full platoon/ rifle company to do some kind of flanking or other, we'd pool all the wagons and send them off - usually in light order.

It worked really well, in general, mainly because we had excellent drivers and maintainers, and each wagon had a proper VHF radio.
 
OK

Fox among the chooks time. :D


For some units - putting them at a 3per Squad would make sense -- it provides a mobile LIGHT patrol vehicle - so the entire force is mobile.
In other roles it makes sense for 1/Squad where it isn't totally a mobility vehicle but a support vehicle - in that it can carry Squad Gear, but the entire Squad isn't mounted.

We used the BVs like battle taxis. If we needed to mount a full platoon/ rifle company to do some kid of flanking or other, we'd pool all the wagons and send them off - usually in light order.

It worked really well, in general, mainly because we had excellent drivers and maintainers, and each wagon had a proper VHF radio.

At what point, what combination of wheels/tracks, armour, guns and comms, at what point does a vehicle become so specialized that it demands a specialized bunch of troops in the passenger compartment?

Prepare to switch threads. ;)
 
First time seeing this website (Task & purpose)
Every article seems to have a negative ring to it. It seems like an American version of The Ottawa citizen's Defense Watch.

The four headlines from their NEWS section.

Viral letter begging the military to ‘fix our computers’ reaches Pentagon leaders
The Army is finally getting its futuristic heads-up display into more soldiers’ hands this year
The Army’s new infantry assault buggy is a useless garbage pile
The world’s most advanced fighter jet is already having a very rough year

I won't be spending a lot of time there. I don't need that much negativity in my life.

🍻
 
First time seeing this website (Task & purpose)
Every article seems to have a negative ring to it. It seems like an American version of The Ottawa citizen's Defense Watch.
,,,
I won't be spending a lot of time there. I don't need that much negativity in my life.

🍻
From Wikipedia:

Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 by Zachary Iscol, Brian Jones, and Lauren Katzenberg.[2]

In 2018 managing editor Adam Weinstein resigned after CEO Zachary Iscol requested that he change the title of a ProPublica investigation into undue influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs featured on the site.[1] Weinstein contended that Iscol strongly disagreed with both the title and the factual accuracy of the reporting done by ProPublica which Weinstein felt was undue influence on the publication's editorial independence. Weinstein also said that this was not the first time that management, specifically Iscol, had interfered in the editorial process in an effort to make the publication appealing to more conservative readers.[3]

As of October 2018, Paul Szoldra was named the editor-in-chief. Szoldra is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the founder of the popular military satire website The DuffelBlog.[4]

I tend to skim T&P frequently. The articles are generally timely and if a bit irreverent at times, usually informative.

Like everything else on the internet, you have to take it with a grain of salt and not make it your only source.

🍻
 
You seem surprised by this...

It does sound like someone had an idea...then (it seems) someone decided to test that idea using apples instead of oranges with intent to make that idea look stupid. If they're just looking for a little green thing to move green humanoids and not much else, well they got it, but it seems that they decided to have cavalry folks test this thing like it's a cavalry vehicle instead of light infantry - who know damn well (I hope) they're not going to bum rush a fortified position in a dune buggy and expect to come out on top.
but it worked in a movie...
 
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