MRAP - IED Explosion (Lots of pictures)

[Irish]

I received this via email. I don't make any claims as to the accuracy of the report but it looks on the up & up to me. The MRAP design looks to be doing a good job thus far, I have no personal experience.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2453/viewery.png (http://img96.imageshack.us/i/viewery.png/)
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/4017/viewer2.png (http://img340.imageshack.us/i/viewer2.png/)
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6624/viewer3.png (http://img209.imageshack.us/i/viewer3.png/)

[Irish]

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/3941/viewer4.png (http://img203.imageshack.us/i/viewer4.png/)
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/396/viewer5.png (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/viewer5.png/)
http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/2411/viewer6.png

[Irish]

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9647/viewer7.png (http://img88.imageshack.us/i/viewer7.png/)
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/5840/viewer8.png (http://img697.imageshack.us/i/viewer8.png/)
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/631/viewer9.png (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/viewer9.png/)

[Irish]

LAST PICTURE.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9468/viewer10.png (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/viewer10.png/)

[whiterabbit05]

:eek::eek::eek:

[tampam4]

I don't want to imagine what the photos would look like had that been something else, even an up-armored Humvee.:eek: Glad everyone was "OK"

[ForTehNguyen]

amazing, glad to hear they escaped death. Looks like a great vehicle. I remember watching a show where the design of the bottom is meant to channel explosive force away to the sides like its venting so the vehicle itself wont absorb the explosion and get ripped apart. That's why the metal at the bottom is shaped like a boat, channels the explosive blast to the sides instead of into the vehicle like a flat bottom would. Excellent design.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/FPCougar.jpg/800px-FPCougar.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/94/Army_mil-2008-06-13-162413.jpg/765px-Army_mil-2008-06-13-162413.jpg

[ceptor781]

Thank god for improved armored mobility. That would have made a M1114 into a much smaller pile of parts and would've vaporized the M1025 we rolled around in.

[Gunsmith.JM]

that'll buff right out

[CarlosDJackal]

So worth the price. I'd rather pay more taxes for more of these vehicles than that fiasco of a Health Care Bill.

[Macx]

(paraphrasing) So worth the price. I'd rather more of my taxes went for more of these vehicles than just about anything Obama has printed up more cash for. :D

[NinjaMedic]

One of these absolutly saved my best friends life in '08. Army EOD, still has all his fingers, only time he has gotten caught in a blast was driving and he came out with only some mild TBI. Destroyed the MRAP though, similar to this picture.

[ZDL]

*******

[RogerinTPA]

Glad the MRAP is in the field and saved those Soldiers lives. Those are awesome pics by the way.

[Belmont31R]

V shaped hulls are actually an older technology. Its just taken out military 40-50 years to figure out that our troops need the things. Check out some of the African armored vehicle designs from the 60's and 70's.......especially from Rhodesia. :cool:

[Eddiesketti]

I remember getting an email with this in it through buddies still serving. I see the MRAPs on rail cars almost every day coming from Oshkosh.

A lot better than putting sandbags on the floorboards of the Humvees.

[skyugo]

that's a good vehicle! :eek:

glad to see the humvees are being replaced, they just don't fit the mission.

[1911sforever]

I recall this incident. It's been some time, and in 2006-2007 a dozen or so of these would cross my desk every day. (The pace has significantly slowed down now, thank God.) This one stood out because I received the same .ppt presentation and researched it because the claims just didn't match the level of destruction.

I'm sorry to say there was loss of life in this strike. This isn't to say that the MRAP isn't a magnificent vehicle, but passengers in anything than can move will be susceptible to death/injury when 500+ lbs of bang are involved. That the vehicle held together as well as it did is testament to the engineering and construction.

This weekend I have a student that is wheelchair bound due to an explosively formed penetrator strike. Those are some nasty devices, with double amputations being a common result of their use. He doesn't know it yet, but he isn't paying for the course and there's going to be a few other surprises coming his way.

John

Edited to add: IrishLuck, your avatar is the best in the history of the internet!

[diesel power]

:eek: holy chit i'm just glad they are all ok

[Iraq Ninja]

The unit at my location has lost a handful of MRAPS this year, with only one death. All were hit by EFPs which generally are bad news. You can thank the Iranians for that, along with the new technology to make sure the crew cabin is targeted.

On the contractor side of things, I think we have lost a total of 7 legs this year to EFPs, and that is just one company. Still, that is not too bad considering the amount of road time we do.

The MRAP is a great road vehicle, but it is not good at going off road and taking the fight to the bad guys. That may be one reason the USMC is not buying as many this year, since they are in A Stan. Here in Iraq, the Army is generally restricted to roads and has to have an Iraqi Police escort. The MRAP is perfect for this role.

[Mauser KAR98K]

Hey, they're using Cat motors! :cool:

Wow! Gunny did a special on these showcased on his "Locked and Loaded". This is a great example of American know-how and ingenuity getting the job done. Glad it is saving American lives!

[Nathan_Bell]

I recall this incident. It's been some time, and in 2006-2007 a dozen or so of these would cross my desk every day. (The pace has significantly slowed down now, thank God.) This one stood out because I received the same .ppt presentation and researched it because the claims just didn't match the level of destruction.

I'm sorry to say there was loss of life in this strike. This isn't to say that the MRAP isn't a magnificent vehicle, but passengers in anything than can move will be susceptible to death/injury when 500+ lbs of bang are involved. That the vehicle held together as well as it did is testament to the engineering and construction.

This weekend I have a student that is wheelchair bound due to an explosively formed penetrator strike. Those are some nasty devices, with double amputations being a common result of their use. He doesn't know it yet, but he isn't paying for the course and there's going to be a few other surprises coming his way.

John

Edited to add: IrishLuck, your avatar is the best in the history of the internet!

Sorry to hear that some were lost in this incident.

Good on you for taking care of the vet.

[Safetyhit]

Imagine the practicality: They save lives and likely really piss off the enemy.

[F_G]

Am I the only one with concerns about the environment? What with all that oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze and diesel fuel spread about the scene with no visible means of containment? :rolleyes:




Looks like an awesome vehicle. Glad our guys are finally getting the correct tools they need to do their jobs effectively and as safely as possible.

[bkb0000]

So worth the price. I'd rather pay more taxes for more of these vehicles than that fiasco of a Health Care Bill.

for the trillions of dollars WASTED on that bill, we could probably produce an armada of bomb-proof vehicles, and not lose another man 'till they develop nuclear IED technology.

[Iraq Ninja]

Am I the only one with concerns about the environment? What with all that oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze and diesel fuel spread about the scene with no visible means of containment? :rolleyes:

Looks like an awesome vehicle. Glad our guys are finally getting the correct tools they need to do their jobs effectively and as safely as possible.

It is Iraq, not California :). I think you are being a bit a bit tongue in cheek, but Iraqis have no concept of being green or environmentally concerned. I know the US is trying to instill a sense of it in them, but it is like trying to teach calculus to a rhino. Same thing with any concept with the word Quality in it.

A lot of our military hummers have been turned over to the Iraqi Army. I am sure they will be getting most of the hardware here, since it is cheaper to leave it than take it home. I heard one diplomat mention it was part of a negotiation involving future oil prices...lol.

[Caeser25]

Glad to see some of my tax dollars aren't being wasted.

[F_G]

It is Iraq, not California :). I think you are being a bit tongue in cheek...........Yes, my bad, I forgot the requisite number of smilies. :D

I made it to Saudi once during my tenure in the USAF and the whole area looked like a giant pile of oilsorb to me. That is one awesome vehicle though, reminds me of a vehicle the Rhodesian Army had back in the 60's and 70's, I think they called it a Water Buffalo, exact same concept of diverting the energy of the blast from land mines at the time.

Actually, here is all I could find, and they called it the "Leopard".
http://www.rhodesianforces.org/graphics_bsap/leopard.jpg

[PrivateCitizen]

Health care you can believe in!

Godspeed to those who paid with their lives.

[CarlosDJackal]

Am I the only one with concerns about the environment? What with all that oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze and diesel fuel spread about the scene with no visible means of containment?...

Maybe someone can contact the guys who had to crawl out of that ans ask them if they remembered to lay down some kitty litter?

[FMJ556]

It is interesting that this design has been around for 30+ years. The South Africans pioneered the use of mine protection with their Buffel APC. Rather surprising that it has taken this long for the design to be incorporated into US military APCs. Apparently there are only 2 steel factories in the US capable of producing the material for the MRAPs.

[Nathan_Bell]

It is interesting that this design has been around for 30+ years. The South Africans pioneered the use of mine protection with their Buffel APC. Rather surprising that it has taken this long for the design to be incorporated into US military APCs. Apparently there are only 2 steel factories in the US capable of producing the material for the MRAPs.

You can thank the EPA and Bill Clinton for that. The former doing the largest amount of damage, the latter putting the nails int he coffin.

[F_G]

Maybe someone can contact the guys who had to crawl out of that ans ask them if they remembered to lay down some kitty litter?Yea, I'm sure that was the first thing on their minds.....:eek: :D:D

[Iraq Ninja]

Two South Africans set up a factory here in Baghdad back in 2006. They made armored vehicles called the Reva, and sold them for a while. It had the same sloped armor made famous in South Africa. The Reva was based on a TATA engine, which I think was from Pakistan or India.

They seemed to work ok against standard IEDs, but not EFPs.

Blackwater used to have a vehicle called the grizzly, and from what I heard, it was very well armored. I used to see them in Baghdad and they were huge....

My all time favorite is the plain old Land Cruiser. Mobility is security and it is hard to target someone when they are not on the standard roads and military routes.

[the Bamster]

WOW!, the motorpool is going to be pissed when they return that one.:D

[Shotdown]

Wow. Glad everyone is okay. I'm glad there's a vehicle out there saving lives.