The military has made no secret of the upcoming offensive to
clear out a Taliban haven in Marjah, a town in southern Afghanistan's Helmand
province. Some 10,000 Marines have arrived in the area in recent weeks to lead the
assault.
Sure to be out front as the Marines push into Marjah and
surrounding areas will be a new addition to the Marine's inventory: the Assault
Breacher Vehicle (ABV), an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank with its turret removed
and fitted with a dozer blade, a mine plow and two Mk 155 linear demolition
charges.
The Mk 155 mine clearing line charge carries 1,750 pounds of
C4 that can be shot out 100 meters in front of the tank to blast a lane through
IED and mine belts. The Marines plan to buy 16 more ABVs next year to add to
the 34 they already own.
My colleague Paul McLeary, over at Aviation Week, has a great write up of Marine ABV operations over in Afghanistan. He quotes a light
colonel who said that if any insurgents were nearby when the ABV's nearly one
ton of high-explosive detonates they'd be "real gooey inside."
