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Excellent example of a machine that has already cost taxpayers a kazillion bucks, will be very expensive to produce and even more expensive to maintain, and is completely uncalled for. It in fact, does nothing more than a good Cat 953 track-loader with various attachments could do, including a winch, with the possible exception of the rocket propelled self recovery system. (What we used to do with a 500 foot long tow cable and a couple of husky brutes on foot dragging it.) This machine, in point of fact, has very limited capabilities as it's a huge compromise in every function. In today's warfare, it will still need a platoon of Marines or two Seabees as security while it's working, so all that armor does little more than weigh it down. The loader bucket can barely go high enough to fill a wheelbarrow. The fancy air conditioner/filtration system is no doubt a maintenance nightmare. Boy, the military loves to spend our money on this junk, when they could just as well use off the shelf items to accomplish 99% of their missions. I hope this thing gets turned out to pasture in a museum someplace before any production ever starts. It's a solid waste of good money in my opinion.
Well alrighty then ......... but you think we atleast could keep the rocket propelled earth anchor to play with on rainy days. :naughty
Maybe it might be usefull for backing up to a house and setting off that anchor thru the front door or gate and pulling it down, instead of the troops having to kick them in like they do now. Of course, the Israeli's just use an armored Cat D9N for this purpose. Oops, there went the whole house!!!........
Y'all are over lookin one thang.... That's a Rousky piece of equipment. No US taxpayer dollars involved at all.
Waste of $$$$$ no matter who buys it. What they should be buying are armored personal vehichles like this one; http://www.internationaldelivers.com/site_layout/militarybusiness/Intl_APV.asp If you want an armored dozer buy the D9N's off the Israeli's
"A platoon of Marines or two Seabees"? Please.... I think the SeaBee logo of "We build We fight" should be changed to We build and We eat. You will never see a piece of SeaBee equipment with counter weights. Thats built into the operator.
Well, that's true, Seabees are good at all things, some better than others. Us old Seabees are the heavyweights, the last time I was over to the Seabee base in California (two years ago), they had some of the skinniest female operators you ever saw running equipment. It's a strange feeling to see those young gals doing this, but of course, they do it well. I must admit (it was quite late in the evening) I overlooked the model number and the part about the Indian Army planning to buy some of these little tank critters. In which case, I hope they buy a bunch of them. That will be good for the Russian economy, and it will put a ton of Indian mechanics to work. But I'm sure, in some little corner of America, certain folks are dreaming up machines of a similar nature for our military to waste a five-ton truck load of cash on. So it goes..............