UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan bomb attack were in latest

[EnterpriseSovereign]

...Mastiff 3 vehicle

The Ministry of Defence has said that three soldiers who were killed in Helmand province after a roadside bomb attack were travelling in the latest Mastiff 3 armoured vehicle.

The US-made Mastiff has previously been praised by soldiers for its resilience in bomb attacks.

The six-wheeler all-terrain vehicle is understood to make up the biggest part of the British armed forces' 450-strong armoured patrol fleet or "protected mobility" vehicles currently deployed in Afghanistan.

The Mastiff, which was first deployed in Afghanistan in 2007, is a heavily armoured, troop-carrying vehicle suitable for road patrols and convoys. It cancan travel at speeds of up to 55mph (90 kmh) and can carry eight people. It is based on the US Cougar built for the US Marine Corps and manufactured by Force Protection Inc. Deployment of the vehicle was stepped up after dozens of British soldiers were killed in soft-top Snatch Land Rovers.

Other vehicles such as the Viking – which is built to travel through water - have proven extremely vulnerable to roadside bombs, but on Wednesday Lt Col Lincoln Jopp MC, a former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Mastiff 3 had a reputation of being a safe vehicle. "It has served us very well indeed."

"Whilst you can do everything possible to try and mitigate the risks you can't eradicate them totally and nothing is indestructible," he said.

Responding to increasing sophistication of attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) the Mastiff 3 replaced the earlier Mastiff 1 (Ridgeback) and 2, and is now manufactured with opening front doors for easier exit during attack and a six-speed gear box. They continue to be kitted out with "electronic countermeasure" devices which jam incoming signals to stop IED's from being set off remotely.

The vehicles also have two rear hatches, a 360-degree motorised turret or "top cover" and six cameras with thermal imaging capability.

In June 2010, soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh survived two bomb blasts in two days in Mastiff vehicles while on patrol in the Babaji district of central Helmand.

After the attack platoon commander Lieutenant Mark Lewis said: "The first IED strike blew the Mastiff across the road. I was top cover at the time and blown out of the turret but stopped from landing in the nearby field by the cam net. Once the dust settled I could hear the lads in the cabin. I dropped down fearing the worst, not knowing what I would see next. Thankfully they were all OK, with only minor injuries and the next day we were all back out on patrol."

"I was more than happy to go out again in the vehicle after the first explosion because I knew that it would keep me safe."

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[Patroklos]

Is this supposed to be a critisism of the vehicle? A public service announcement?

Given the specific nature of your title I doubt this is just a rememberace thread, though RIP to those soldiers.

[Lord Relvenous]

Even if it is a criticism, it's not a very effective one. First, he lets a neutral article do his talking. Second, even in the article it's acknowledged that no vehicle is going to be able to withstand all attacks.

Lastly, there is an account of the vehicle performing it's role perfectly. Even if Mastiff 3's are destroyed by some roadside bombs, as long as they prevented a death that would not have been prevented by the previous vehicle, it is an improvement. Seeing as how one of the previous vehicles is an up-armored Range Rover, I think we can confidently say this is the case.

[Agent Fisher]

I've seen other articles about this. It's not a criticism of the vehicle, I think. It's more that this is the first time that the Mastiff 3's passengers have been killed by an IED attack. But I mean, put enough boom in there and well, it was bound to happen.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Yes, it wasn't the soldiers dying that made the national news, it was the fact that they were killed inside one of these:
Cougar
It was said that now the enemy is putting large quantities of explosives directly under the road instead of alongside. In effect it's the equivalent of a crude anti-tank mine.

[Captain Seafort]

it wasn't the soldiers dying that made the national news

Yes it was. The fact that they were in a Mastiff is simply a detail.

[madd0ct0r]

both I think. Deaths normally get a brief mention on the news, but the vehicle has been specifically brought up each time this time as well, purely because this is the first one to have failed.

It might represent a change in bombing tactics, a change in bomb sizes or a group that just lucked out.

[Grumman]

It was said that now the enemy is putting large quantities of explosives directly under the road instead of alongside. In effect it's the equivalent of a crude anti-tank mine.

There was a TV show a few weeks ago that showed one of these in-road IEDs being detonated. The crater was two metres deep.

[LaCroix]

I don't get the point, here - the Cougars were meant to be "the best possible thing to be in" when hit by an mine or IED, not impenetrable. There have been injuries to crews, already, before this incident. Just a matter of time until there was a bomb big enough.

[Steel]

Insurgents dont have unlimited access to explosives, capability to carry around large quantities of stuff unnoticed, time to dig holes etc. Even if these vehicles aren't perfect the fact it makes it harder to make a bomb that can reliably kill means you wont suffer the same number of attacks if the enemy has to make each one bigger and more noticeable.