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New Mercedes Benz G Wagons arrive in Kabul to replace aging Iltis jeeps
New Mercedes Benz G Wagons arrive in Kabul to replace aging Iltis jeeps
08:30 PM EST Mar 14
LES PERREAUX
KABUL (CP) - Canadian soldiers drove in air-conditioned comfort from the Kabul airport Friday in the first of the beefy new jeeps that will replace the aging Iltis.
Eighteen new Mercedes-Benz G Wagons, featuring armour plating, bullet-resistant glass windows and a grenade-proof roof, were delivered to Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Over the next week 60 of the vehicles will arrive by transport aircraft. The jeeps will replace the 20-year-old topless Iltis, a vehicle that offers a great view and a quick exit but almost no protection from the elements or shrapnel.
"You don't feel like you're in a Pepsi can in this one," said Warrant Officer Alain Blanchette, an army mechanic.
"You feel like you've got something around you that is going to protect you. I know one thing for sure. Everybody will be more confident and secure in this vehicle than the Iltis."
Happy Canadian soldiers tested the jeep on the 20-kilometre drive back to Camp Julien through downtown Kabul. The roomy G Wagon has an automatic transmission, shifts to four-wheel-drive with the push of a button and accelerates around moving traffic far more quickly than the Iltis.
The basic G Wagon costs $44,000 Cdn. The full armour kit adds another $86,000 to the pricetag.
"I love it," said Pte. Martin Lavoie, an army driver who is out in light jeeps almost every day. "It's really impressive. It's really really good, superior to the Iltis in every way."
About 800 G Wagons, including 160 with the armour, and 1,060 GM Silverado utiltity vehicles will gradually replace 1,900 20-year-old Iltis jeeps through August 2005.
Three Canadian soldiers have died in the past six months in explosive attacks targeting the Iltis. In October, two soldiers died when at least one anti-tank mine was set off. In January, a soldier died when a suicide bomber targeted his jeep. The arrival of the new jeeps was sped up after the October attack.
Col. Alain Tremblay, the head of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, said the new armoured jeep probably would not have saved the soldiers in the mine attack. However it might have made a difference in the suicide attack Jan. 27 that killed Cpl. Jamie Murphy and injured three soldiers.
"In that case, it is highly likely this vehicle would have made a difference," Tremblay said.
However a car bomb carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives blew up next to a heavier British jeep the next day and killed a British soldier. Tremblay pointed out that a bigger explosive weapon can always be found to take out light armoured vehicles.
"This is not a tank," Tremblay said. "It has a limited anti-mine capability. But it's better than the Iltis, obviously."
The G Wagon has armoured plating and thick bullet-resistant windows that do not open. Tremblay said a big blast can often do more damage to people inside such a vehicle because there is nowhere for the wave of pressure from a blast to escape. One Canadian soldier survived the October mine attack when he was thrown out of the Iltis.
The G Wagon will be used to bolster Canada's fleet of vehicles for patrols and transport in Afghanistan but some of the smaller Iltis jeeps will remain in use on Kabul's narrow streets.
While breakdowns have plagued the Iltis on the Afghanistan mission, the old jeep still has fans. The armoured G Wagon offers more protection but some soldiers like the open-topped jeep because it allows them to quickly jump out and shoot back in an attack.
Sgt. Daniel Parenteau, a driving instructor and member of Alpha Company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, said the soldiers will get used to having doors, windows and a roof.
"Sure, with the Iltis you could see all around and get out fast," he said.
"Now people will learn that it's inside the vehicle where you are safe. You have to fire eight rounds from a rifle in the exact same spot to finally break the glass. People will adjust their thinking."
New Mercedes Benz G Wagons arrive in Kabul to replace aging Iltis jeeps
08:30 PM EST Mar 14
LES PERREAUX
KABUL (CP) - Canadian soldiers drove in air-conditioned comfort from the Kabul airport Friday in the first of the beefy new jeeps that will replace the aging Iltis.
Eighteen new Mercedes-Benz G Wagons, featuring armour plating, bullet-resistant glass windows and a grenade-proof roof, were delivered to Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Over the next week 60 of the vehicles will arrive by transport aircraft. The jeeps will replace the 20-year-old topless Iltis, a vehicle that offers a great view and a quick exit but almost no protection from the elements or shrapnel.
"You don't feel like you're in a Pepsi can in this one," said Warrant Officer Alain Blanchette, an army mechanic.
"You feel like you've got something around you that is going to protect you. I know one thing for sure. Everybody will be more confident and secure in this vehicle than the Iltis."
Happy Canadian soldiers tested the jeep on the 20-kilometre drive back to Camp Julien through downtown Kabul. The roomy G Wagon has an automatic transmission, shifts to four-wheel-drive with the push of a button and accelerates around moving traffic far more quickly than the Iltis.
The basic G Wagon costs $44,000 Cdn. The full armour kit adds another $86,000 to the pricetag.
"I love it," said Pte. Martin Lavoie, an army driver who is out in light jeeps almost every day. "It's really impressive. It's really really good, superior to the Iltis in every way."
About 800 G Wagons, including 160 with the armour, and 1,060 GM Silverado utiltity vehicles will gradually replace 1,900 20-year-old Iltis jeeps through August 2005.
Three Canadian soldiers have died in the past six months in explosive attacks targeting the Iltis. In October, two soldiers died when at least one anti-tank mine was set off. In January, a soldier died when a suicide bomber targeted his jeep. The arrival of the new jeeps was sped up after the October attack.
Col. Alain Tremblay, the head of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, said the new armoured jeep probably would not have saved the soldiers in the mine attack. However it might have made a difference in the suicide attack Jan. 27 that killed Cpl. Jamie Murphy and injured three soldiers.
"In that case, it is highly likely this vehicle would have made a difference," Tremblay said.
However a car bomb carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives blew up next to a heavier British jeep the next day and killed a British soldier. Tremblay pointed out that a bigger explosive weapon can always be found to take out light armoured vehicles.
"This is not a tank," Tremblay said. "It has a limited anti-mine capability. But it's better than the Iltis, obviously."
The G Wagon has armoured plating and thick bullet-resistant windows that do not open. Tremblay said a big blast can often do more damage to people inside such a vehicle because there is nowhere for the wave of pressure from a blast to escape. One Canadian soldier survived the October mine attack when he was thrown out of the Iltis.
The G Wagon will be used to bolster Canada's fleet of vehicles for patrols and transport in Afghanistan but some of the smaller Iltis jeeps will remain in use on Kabul's narrow streets.
While breakdowns have plagued the Iltis on the Afghanistan mission, the old jeep still has fans. The armoured G Wagon offers more protection but some soldiers like the open-topped jeep because it allows them to quickly jump out and shoot back in an attack.
Sgt. Daniel Parenteau, a driving instructor and member of Alpha Company of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, said the soldiers will get used to having doors, windows and a roof.
"Sure, with the Iltis you could see all around and get out fast," he said.
"Now people will learn that it's inside the vehicle where you are safe. You have to fire eight rounds from a rifle in the exact same spot to finally break the glass. People will adjust their thinking."
