Iraq troops must wait until summer for life-saving FRAG Kit 5 armor

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT editorial: Not Supporting Our Troops
Published: February 15, 2007

How do you explain to the thousands of American troops now being poured into Baghdad that they will have to wait until the summer for the protective armor that could easily mean the difference between life and death?

It’s bad enough that these soldiers are being asked to risk their lives without President Bush demanding that Iraq’s leaders take any political risks that might give the military mission at least an outside chance of success. But according to an article in The Washington Post this week, at least some of the troops will be sent out in Humvees not yet equipped with FRAG Kit 5 armor. That’s an advanced version designed to reduce deaths from roadside bombs, which now account for about 70 percent of United States casualties in Iraq.

The more flexible materials used in the FRAG Kit 5 make it particularly helpful in containing the damage done by the especially deadly weapon the Bush administration is now most concerned about: those explosively formed penetrators that Washington accuses Iran of supplying to Shiite militias for use against American troops.

Older versions of Humvee armor are shattered by these penetrators, showering additional shrapnel in the direction of a Humvee’s occupants. The FRAG Kit 5 helps slow the incoming projectile and contains some of the shrapnel, giving the soldiers a better chance of survival.

Armor upgrades like this have become a feature of the Iraq war, as the Pentagon struggles to keep up with the constantly more powerful weapons and sophisticated tactics of the various militia and insurgent forces attacking American troops. But the Army, the National Guard and the Marine Corps have been caught constantly behind the curve....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/opinion/15thur1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[soothsayer]

1. they'll enjoy that in a sunny desert summer.... must be miserable.

[itsmesgd]

2. Duncan Hunter yesterday said

that he didnt have body armour when he went to Vietnam, so we should all just quit our bitchin' (paraphrase). The troops today are better supplied than when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. Another Repuke said that last pearl of wisdom. I'm just glad that our troops arent having to use muskets like we had in the (first) revolution.

Whatever happened to the American Spirit? The news came out yesterday that Daimler is cutting 13,000 jobs. This is the result of loweer profits because people are buying more smaller Toyotas and fewer large trucks like the ones that Dodge makes......wait, wait. Why don't these 13,000 people start making armoured vehicles? In the past we focused our efforts on helping out the war cause. Why dont we do that now?

[rodeodance]

4. the company would have to retool--sacrifice $ -nope, no can do.

Whatever happened to the American Spirit? The news came out yesterday that Daimler is cutting 13,000 jobs. This is the result of loweer profits because people are buying more smaller Toyotas and fewer large trucks like the ones that Dodge makes......wait, wait. Why don't these 13,000 people start making armoured vehicles? In the past we focused our efforts on helping out the war cause. Why dont we do that now?

[happyslug]

3. IF this crew really wanted to protect Soldiers lives, they be shipping M113s

M113s are in Storage in the States. The m113 was DESIGNED to carry armor (Aluminum Armor but enough to protect against anything less than a 50 Caliber Machine Gun at Close Range). Thus the M113 would provide a LOT MORE PROTECTION than the Armored Humvees (Humvees were designed as light duty Cargo Vehicles, NOT armored gun Platforms).

While the M113 has some problems (Which is why it was replaced by the M2 Bradley Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle, MICV in Mechanized Infantry Units). These problems include increase fuel usage over a Humvee, Increase maintenance do to be a Tracked Vehicle and the fact M113s will burn if hit by a High Explosive Anti-Tan (HEAT) Round do to its Aluminum Armor. On the other hand these problems were known In Vietnam and most soldiers worked around these weaknesses. M113s strengths include Increase Armor, Tracks so it can move in the desert sands better than the Humvee, a ramp door in the back for rapid exit from the vehicles, Overhead doors to provide cover or fighting positions depending on the type of Attack, thus as a whole the M113 is a HUGE increase in Protection over armored Humvees (Even with the Frag-5 Armor Upgrade).

[Solly Mack]

5. ....

My husband told me about EFPs from his time in Iraq

This was 2003-2004 - they've been around that long. He even drew me a sketch of what they look like.

He also explained how they work and the damage caused as they (and the shrapnel) ricochet around the vehicle - slicing, dicing, and shearing body parts off.




He also said there was no armor (as of yet) that could stop them. That's STOP them...the article only claims to slow them down...which might help. I don't know. We'll see.

The EFP can cause a vehicle to go up on 2 wheels (the impact, as it is a projectile)....causing the occupants to up-end as well, all the while the EFP's main canister (think coffee can lid sharp and splintered) flies around the body of the vehicle, along with the added shrapnel, killing those inside..with little chance of it missing anyone and he said there are NO "minor" injuries sustained...that the injuries are fatal or devastating.

The EFP burns so hot it melts the armor and goes through...then bounces around...killing the people inside.

The thing is, it cools rapidly once it penetrates and works a lot like a bullet that hits resistance and then bounces through the body...hitting vital organs....except the EFP bounces around the vehicle, hitting the people inside.

The fact that it's 2007 - and EFP's were around when my husband went to Iraq....it is more than scandalous...it's criminal.

Sorry to be so graphic but this is what military families live with...this is our reality.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for this post, Solly Mack. nt

[Solly Mack]

7. No - Thank you, DeepModem Mom

Your thread gave me the chance to say something I've been keeping to myself.