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What's unusual about this photo?

By The Armorer on September 21, 2005 | | Comments (13)
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Answer in the Flash Traffic/Extended Entry.

SAN ANTONIO -- Airmen take part in a truck convoy during a basic combat convoy course on-road training scenario. The course is designed to train transportation Airmen in basic combat skills required to integrate with joint forces in hostile convoy operations. Airmen receive about 300 hours of training at nearby Camp Bullis to prepare them for security escort and line haul missions with coalition convoys supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

Joint training. What a concept.

You young 'uns don't realize what a paradigm shift this picture represents.

Of course, to this oldsters eye - those vehicles look pretty close together, but that could just be foreshortening from the picture angle and camera settings.

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13 Comments

By cw4(ret)billt on September 21, 2005 8:04 AM
Interval, schminterval--the HummerGunner needs some serious remedial target acquisition training.
 
By Ryan Gill on September 21, 2005 8:27 AM
You're also looking at a 900 Series Cargo truck followed by a civilian (Air Force?) semi-tractor. The different profiles throw the perspective off a bit I think. I still think we need something heavier than a HMMWV with applique armor on it for a light armored car. A HMMWV sized vehicle with a rear engine, power operated turret and sloped armor would be very nice I think...
 
By John of Argghhh! on September 21, 2005 8:38 AM
Like the ASV... Textron's factory for which is now being rebuilt... (it's in Louisiana) but the homes of the workers are a bit longer-term a project. Which is delaying the 900 orders they have for the vehicle thus far.
 
By Ryan Gill on September 21, 2005 10:11 AM
The ASV is a bit larger than what I'm thinking of. Apparently, its size is something of a liablity too. A Fast track project using HMMWV parts (transmission, engine, driveline components) just rearranged on an a steel hull with a kevlar spall liner, angled armor (not that slab-sided crap) and a 2-3 man crew having better protection would be a better idea. The ASV is good, just big. Think high-low for this kind of work. HMMWV/Ferret/SdKfz222 sized for they urban patrolling they're doing. Power operated turret for fast turning, but otherwise a manually controlled weapon. The turret should have a nice large ammo hopper on the inside that'll turn with the turret so you're less likely to run out of ammo in a long firefight. Add a ram Plate and a few other external greeblies (IR spotlights, headlights, a few cameras for quick reversing and you're working with a pretty slick Armored car that the Up armored HMMWVs are trying to pull duty as. Add an AC system and you're keeping the troops happier.
 
By John of Argghhh! on September 21, 2005 10:33 AM
Dude - yer given away intellectual property there, aincha? Ya need ta start sellin'.
 
By Scott on September 21, 2005 10:35 AM
Without looking at the answer, it looks like it's in Louisiana to me.
 
By Cricket on September 21, 2005 1:14 PM
It was a trick question. I was going to say the obvious, that a gunner's face was blacked out, not the joint training stuff. Sheesh. The things you learn on a blog...
 
By R Jewell on September 21, 2005 1:19 PM
One thing I noticed right off........my kid isn't the hummer gunner in the picture. *big grin* phone call this morning had him 'boots on the ground" in Lafayette Louisiana, his tour in Iraq safely and thankfully at an end. yessir, yessir, it surely is a fine day here 'mongst cornfields of southern Indiana.
 
By ry on September 21, 2005 1:46 PM
ASV? Is that the truck that the MPs want? Three man crew(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/asv.htm)? Otherwise, you lost me Coach.
 
By Fuzzybear Lioness on September 21, 2005 1:48 PM
What a wonderful bit of news, RJ! Congratulations! Another of our fine warriors is safe at home. Please give him my thanks and an extra hug from me. God bless you all. :)
 
By John of Argghhh! on September 21, 2005 2:03 PM
That would be the one, Ry.
 
By AFSister on September 21, 2005 2:04 PM
RJ- That's AWESOME! I hope you get to see him soon.
 
By Ryan Gill on September 22, 2005 10:44 AM
Dude - yer given away intellectual property there, aincha? Ya need ta start sellin'. Well, I'm not an engineer nor am I a business owner, I'm only a grognard and collector. But it strikes me as pretty odd that the kind of work the troops are doing in Iraq is what would be ideally served by a light armored car. Real armor (and some of the lighter kevlar) would probably help a great deal. Getting the requisite 7.62mm side protection would be kind of hairy as you need 12mm of armor plate for the side and rear to protect from 7.62mm AP. Call it 16mm for a bit of extra protection. That'll make your all up weight in the 6 ton range with a 2 man vehicle. Kevlar could buy you some weight, but It'd be a tricky vehicle to build. The nice thing is that radio's have gotten smaller and lower powered for a given range so some of the older armored car internal volume is given back to the stowage of ammo. I get the impression that there's little room in the modern day for boffins like Percy Hobart, Lakeman, and Beatrice Shilling. Though, the Buffalo and Couger that Force Protection has started building are pretty nice.
 
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