Assault Breacher Vehicle
Encyclopedia
M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), shortly Breacher, and nicknamed Shredder, is the name of a military vehicle model as first used on a larger scale by the US Marines in the joint ISAF
-Afghan Operation Moshtarak
in Southern Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan
in 2010 against the Taliban insurgency
.
were especially designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through minefields and along roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Device
s. The 72-ton, 40-foot (12-meter)-long vehicles are based on a tank with a 1,500 horsepower engine, but fitted with a 50-caliber machine gun and a front-mounted 15-foot (4.5-meter) wide plow, supported by metallic skis that glide on the dirt and armed with nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of explosives.
They were called "the answer" to the deadliest threat facing NATO troops in this conflict. The Breachers are also equipped with M58 MICLIC
Mine Clearing Line Charges: rockets carrying high-grade C-4
explosives up to 100-150 yards (meters) forward, detonating hidden bombs at a safe distance, so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.
In the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicles for this purpose. The Grizzly program was canceled in 2001. The prototype developed never made it to the production lines. The Marine Corps however persisted and funded its own development and testing. The main body of the final model of the ABV is built on the General Dynamics
chassis that is used for the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank
. Pearson Engineering of the UK provided the specially designed plow and the other mine-clearing accessories.
in Helmand province, on their way to another Taliban stronghold Marjah, 380 miles (610 kilometers) southwest of Kabul
, that was to be assaulted in February 2010.
On February 11, 2010, two breachers fired explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani, to test Taliban defenses on the eve of Operation Moshtarak when closing off the enemy's escape route.
On February 13, 2010, on the first day of the operation, breachers of the US Marines 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion succeeded in digging and blasting "safety lanes" through the numerous minefields laid by the Taliban around Marjah.
According to a report in December 2009, there were then five ABVs in Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines were said to have plans to field a total of 52 by 2012, of which about 34 have already had been produced. The U.S. Army was said to have ordered 187.
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
-Afghan Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak was an ISAF pacification offensive in the area that is described as the "poppy-growing belt" of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. The combat operations started on February 13, 2010, and focuses on the Nad Ali District and Lashkar Gah district...
in Southern Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in 2010 against the Taliban insurgency
Taliban insurgency
The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban continue to attack Afghan, U.S., and other ISAF troops and many terrorist incidents attributable to them have been registered. The war has also spread over the southern and...
.
Design and purpose
These tracked combat vehiclesArmoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
were especially designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through minefields and along roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s. The 72-ton, 40-foot (12-meter)-long vehicles are based on a tank with a 1,500 horsepower engine, but fitted with a 50-caliber machine gun and a front-mounted 15-foot (4.5-meter) wide plow, supported by metallic skis that glide on the dirt and armed with nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of explosives.
They were called "the answer" to the deadliest threat facing NATO troops in this conflict. The Breachers are also equipped with M58 MICLIC
M58 MICLIC
The M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge is a rocket projected explosive line charge which provides a "close-in" breaching capability for maneuver forces of the United States Army and Marine Corps. It is effective against conventionally fuzed land mines and, when detonated, it provides a lane 8 meters by...
Mine Clearing Line Charges: rockets carrying high-grade C-4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
explosives up to 100-150 yards (meters) forward, detonating hidden bombs at a safe distance, so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.
In the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicles for this purpose. The Grizzly program was canceled in 2001. The prototype developed never made it to the production lines. The Marine Corps however persisted and funded its own development and testing. The main body of the final model of the ABV is built on the General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
chassis that is used for the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
. Pearson Engineering of the UK provided the specially designed plow and the other mine-clearing accessories.
First use in combat
In the morning of December 3, 2009, for the first time breachers were used in combat, when Marines pushed into the Taliban stronghold Now Zad during Operation Cobra's AngerOperation Cobra's Anger
Operation Cobra's Anger was a US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 1,000 Marines as well as 150 Afghan troops were involved. The operation began in the early hours of 4 December 2009...
in Helmand province, on their way to another Taliban stronghold Marjah, 380 miles (610 kilometers) southwest of Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, that was to be assaulted in February 2010.
On February 11, 2010, two breachers fired explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani, to test Taliban defenses on the eve of Operation Moshtarak when closing off the enemy's escape route.
On February 13, 2010, on the first day of the operation, breachers of the US Marines 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion succeeded in digging and blasting "safety lanes" through the numerous minefields laid by the Taliban around Marjah.
According to a report in December 2009, there were then five ABVs in Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines were said to have plans to field a total of 52 by 2012, of which about 34 have already had been produced. The U.S. Army was said to have ordered 187.
See also
- Hobart's FunniesHobart's FunniesHobart's Funnies were a number of unusually modified tanks operated during World War II by the United Kingdom's 79th Armoured Division or by specialists from the Royal Engineers. They were designed in light of problems that more standard tanks experienced during the Dieppe Raid, so that the new...
- List of vehicles of the United States Marine Corps
- Military engineering vehicles
- Combat engineeringCombat engineeringA combat engineer, also called pioneer or sapper in many armies, is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions...