Combat engineering vehicle Buffalo

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

History of creation

As a result of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the need for special vehicles capable of withstanding the threats of the use of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was identified. For example, in Afghanistan, more than half of the losses of the coalition forces are accounted for by such threats. Specialized vehicles were named MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, armored vehicles with enhanced mine protection).

Buffalo's roots come from the 1966-1989 South African border war in Namibia. In this conflict, Soviet and Cuban mines posed a deadly threat to South African troops along the border with Angola. Because of its policy of racial apartheid, international sanctions were imposed on South Africa, which forced South Africa to find solutions to its problems on its own. To combat the mine threat, South African engineers have developed armored vehicles with a V-shaped hull to deflect the blast wave away from the crew compartment. The Buffalo was used extensively by the South African police and military during the 1980s. The South African Casspir was successfully used to detect mines during peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 1990s.

The Soviet army at about the same time faced a similar problem in Afghanistan, but did not create special mine-resistant vehicles, but used tank mine sweepers or engineering barrage vehicles. This did not ensure the protection of the crews from mines and IEDs, and the fighters began to be placed on armor, not protected from small arms by fragments of mines and landmines of directional action.

The Israel Defense Forces took a different path. Tanks were forbidden to move on paved roads, and, in addition to tank mine trawls, they used a 60-ton D-9 bulldozer to clear the route, which removed an impressive part of the soil with its bucket. The bulldozer itself, due to its considerable height, reliably protected its crew from the effects of the explosion. So, in 2006, an armored D-9 ran into a powerful land mine intended for tanks following it. As a result of the powerful explosion, the crew was not injured and, as its driver put it, "we only have a bulldozer stalled." Recently, the D-9 with remote control is increasingly being used.

By 1999, as part of the Ground Standoff Mine Detection System (GSTAMIDS) program, the US Army began comparative testing of two South African vehicles, the Casspir and the Lion II, in order to determine which one could serve as the basis for the GSTAMIDS vehicles. At the beginning of 2001, the choice fell on the Lion II, which, after further improvements and design improvements, became the Buffalo A0.

Combat engineering vehicle Buffalo MPCV (mine-protected clearance vehicle) belongs to the class of combat vehicles for clearance of the route and is the largest MRAP in use today. The vehicle is used for mine protection of the third category, route clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, object protection, as well as command and control. Buffalo is manufactured by the American company Force Protection Inc. Force Protection Inc was founded in 1996 in Ladson, South Carolina. Initially, the company tried to engage in aviation technology, but after September 11, 2001, due to a decline in demand in the aviation market, it was forced to change its direction of activity. Until 2005, the company employed only a few dozen people, and its turnover amounted to only $ 1.5 million. Three years later, it employs over 1,000 people and sales topped $ 900 million. Force Protection Inc is currently part of the General Dynamics concern.

In 2002, four Buffaloes were deployed to Afghanistan to clear the Bagram airfield. After the first successful use of Buffalo in Afghanistan in 2002, it was only a matter of time before it arrived in Iraq. Former program manager Dennis Haag recalls Buffalo: "If he can spot mines, he could spot IEDs." The US Army was in a hurry to adopt equipment for clearance of convoy routes in Iraq and began purchasing it at the very beginning of the war. Together with a small engineering team, Haag worked on the Buffalo project 16 hours a day, six or seven days a week. He personally traveled to Iraq on several occasions in December 2005 to observe the vehicle in action and communicate with the soldiers using it. According to another member of the GSTAMIDS engineering team, more than 25 changes have been made to the car, including the integration of a fire extinguishing system, additional armor and other elements of survivability. "When we first started development, we didn't communicate with the user," Haag recalls. No one really was with the soldiers on the battlefield. The situation soon changed and Haag's numerous records based on feedback from soldiers had a decisive influence on the development of Buffalo and other RCVS.

Airframe MPCV Buffalo

Structurally, Buffalo is a three-axle four-wheel drive, heavily armored off-road vehicle that has increased protection against damaging factors: mine explosions and improvised explosive devices, including thanks to the V-shaped armored capsule with a double bottom and sides. The Buffalo is capable of accommodating up to six crew members, including the driver and co-driver. The car is 8200 mm long, 2690 mm wide and 3960 mm high. Empty weight - 22 tons, maximum carrying capacity - 12.4 tons. The Buffalo is equipped with Michelin 16 R 20 XZL wheels with aluminum rims for run-flat capability. Sealing the cabin is carried out by ensuring the excess pressure of the purified air from the damaging factors of weapons of mass destruction. Buffalo is not equipped with a winch. Loading and dismounting from the vehicle can be done through one rear door and six overhead standard hatches. The Buffalo is equipped with a 9-meter hydraulic manipulator with metal tongs controlled from the cockpit, equipped with a day / night video camera and sensor equipment, designed for remote disposal of explosive devices. The manipulator can be controlled from the cab of the car, observing what is happening on the monitor or through armored glass 130 mm thick. Buffalo metal wheels, when detonated, take on the impact of the explosion, providing the vehicle crew with additional protection. In addition to mine protection, Buffalo is equipped with powerful ballistic protection. Ballistic protection is provided for the radiator, tires, battery compartment, fuel tanks, engine and transmission. Thus, Buffalo provides protection against improvised explosive devices up to 21 kg detonated under any wheel or 14 kg under the vehicle body. Ballistic protection is able to withstand 7.62 × 51 mm bullets, and aluminum armor from BAE Systems L-ROD protects the vehicle from RPG-7 attacks. Ballistic protection can be increased to resist SVD shots. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with an automatic engine and cabin fire extinguishing system and hand-held fire extinguishers. The car is fully adapted to accommodate remotely controlled weapons while performing the functions of an armored personnel carrier or an ambulance. It can be equipped with one of the M2 12.7 mm machine guns, the 5.56 mm M249, the 6.73 mm M240, or the Mk19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.

Orders and deliveries

Buffalo have been ordered by several countries. In February 2008, four Buffalo vehicles were ordered by the Italian Ministry of Defense. They were manufactured at a facility in Ladson, South Carolina. In July 2008, five Category 3 Buffalo were ordered by the French military under contract M67854-07-C-5039 totaling $ 3.5 million, the order was completed in November of the same year. In October 2008, the US Army ordered 27 Model A2 Buffaloes under contract W56HZV-08-C-0028 for $ 26.2 million. In November 2008, the US Army ordered 16 more Buffalo A2s for $ 15.5 million, delivery in 2009. In addition, 14 Buffalo vehicles were delivered to the UK Department of Defense in October 2009 under contract M67854-06-C-5162. In November 2008, the Canadian government ordered 14 Buffalo A2s under contract M67854-07-C-5039 for $ 49.4 million. Deliveries were made during 2009. The Canadian Expeditionary Force ordered five Buffalo, which were delivered in 2007. In July 2009, Force Protection Inc was awarded a $ 52.8 million contract with the US Army to build 48 Buffalo. The delivery was completed by the end of 2009. In April 2011, the US Marine Corps placed a $ 46.6 million order for 40 MPCV Buffaloes. In June 2011, the US Army ordered an additional 56 Buffalo for $ 63.8 million. Deliveries were completed by July 2012. In 2008, about 200 Buffalo vehicles took part in the fighting. The US Army plans to purchase 372 Buffalo A2s for use by engineering units to clear the route of convoys, sapper platoons and engineering training centers such as the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Engine

The Buffalo was originally powered by a 450 horsepower Mack ASET AI-400 I-6 turbocharged diesel engine and a five-speed gearbox. Subsequently, the Buffalo installed a six-cylinder Caterpillar C13 engine with a volume of 12.5 liters. It delivers 440 horsepower at 1800 rpm and 525 horsepower at 2100 rpm. The engine develops a torque of 1483 Nm at 1400 rpm. The Buffalo has a maximum highway speed of 90 kilometers per hour and a range of 520 km with a 320 liter fuel tank.

Troops on the battlefield have appreciated the Buffalo's many advanced defensive capabilities. Senior Sergeant Ryan Grandstaff, who cleared the routes of the 612th Engineer Battalion in the Ohio National Guard, told CBS News in 2005 that Buffalo made him feel "100 percent safe," adding: "I went through countless explosions and I am still here to tell you about it."

"Since the deployment of Cougar and Buffalo in Iraq in 2003, these vehicles used by engineering departments have defused about 1,000 explosive devices without losing a single human life," said Wayne Phillips, vice president of the company. in charge of the Marine Corps program.

In a recent incident, a Buffalo was hit by an anti-tank mine, blowing off a wheel and destroying the vehicle's bridge. There were no casualties among the crew, and the car retained its mobility and left the minefield on its own. It was renovated overnight and returned to service the very next day.