In order to penetrate dangerous breach operations on the battlefield, soldiers and marines have
risked their limb and life. However, thanks to the recent rapid development on technology,
there has been a new solution to prevent the soldiers from encountering risky situations.
The answer to this solution is no other than the monstrous robotic Assault Breacher Vehicle or ABV,
a heavy battlefield bulldozer constructed to blow off minefields and eliminate other obstacles.
So, what this robotic vehicle really is and what capability does it has?
Hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Military TV. In today’s session, we are going to
take a deeper look at the American M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV). To understand better about
this topic, stay with us and don’t go anywhere. Based on the M1 Abrams chassis, M1150 Assault
Breacher Vehicle (ABV) is a U.S. military mine and explosive-clearing machinery equipped with
line charges and a mine plow. The joint partnership between the International
Security Assistant Force and Afghanistan in Operation Moshtarak during a war in 2010
against Taliban insurgency marked as important event where M1150 was first largely used.
This mobile, sophisticatedly-armoured minefield and obstacle clearing vehicles
have traditionally been handled by a crew of two. Essentially, ABV is an M1 Abrams tank that
has encountered upgrade with the improvements in its armour and had its turret changed with
either a mine plow or a combat dozer blade which is capable of clearing path for other equipment.
Breach operation is one of the worst missions for the soldiers, because every gun, cannon,
missile or bullet are going to be aimed at that breach. Hence, the U.S. army has been
seriously looking for robotic systems with the skill to smash through every breach, so that
manned vehicles and soldiers can go through. The main plan here is to get the troops out.
“That is a very dangerous point to put soldiers and Marines, especially
when dealing with explosive obstacles,” 1st Lt. David Aghakhan, ABV Platoon Commander,
commented in a statement, adding that variants of new robotic systems provide
them the alternative to bring the operator out of the vehicle, and at the same time
still push that machinery through the lane, allowing the mobility for follow-on forces.
In the recent test of the robotic ABVs, they were supported by a robotic Polaris MRZR vehicle
with the capacity of creating smoke screens and suppression fire units, which in reality
might be either manned or unmanned. What about the history of M1150 ABV?
The Assault Breacher Vehicle, or 'ABV,' is the United States' most recent Combat Engineering
Vehicle, or 'CEV,' as of 2018. It is based on the hull of the M1 Abrams, the US military's
current Main Battle Tank. CEVs were popularized by the British during WWII with the AVRE (Armoured
Vehicle Royal Engineers), and similar vehicles have been used by every major army since then. The
ABV is the first of its kind to see service with the US military since the M60-based M728 CEV was
retired in the mid-to-late 1990s, and its direct predecessor, the remotely operated M1 Abrams-based
M1 Panther II, was retired in the late 2000s. The ABV was created to meet the United States
Marine Corps' requirement for a new CEV capable of clearing safe routes for traffic and infantry
through minefields, obstacles, roadside bombs, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The
US military was developing an Abrams-based CEV to replace the M728 in the late 1990s.
This was dubbed the 'Grizzly.' On the other hand, the army also decided to halt
all development of costly, complicated, and high-maintenance CEVs. As a result,
the 'Grizzly' Program was terminated in 2001, with only one prototype completed. Alternatively,
the US Marine Corps persisted in funding the development of the ABV themselves. Six vehicles,
prototypes and pre-production models, were built for testing between 2002 and 2006.
The ABV, more often known simply as ‘The Breacher’ eventually completed its development in 2008.
Following the first action in 2009 in Afghanistan, it formally entered service in 2010.
Now, let’s take a look at the design of The Breacher.
The 72-ton, 15 meters long vehicles are mainly based on the M1 Abrams tank with 1,500 horsepower
engines. However, it is fitted with a .50 cal machine gun and a front-mounted 4.5 meters wide
plow, complemented by metallic skis that glide on the dirty landscape and armed with almost
3,175 kg of explosives. The M1150 Breachers were specifically built to free pathways for soldiers
and other vehicles through minefields, roadside bombs as well as contrived explosive devices.
On the other hand, the vehicles are also equipped with Linear Demolition System (LDCS),
which is rocket systems carrying C-4 bombs up to 100-150 yards forward.
The LDCS can detonate hidden explosives at a relatively safe distance,
so that troops and vehicles are able to get through unharmed.
Looking through its superstructure, the latest explosive reactive armour package
has been installed on it. This allows a higher level of protection against the
anti-tank weaponry such as RPG rounds. Heavily armoured, the breaching vehicle is known for
its ability to withstand different damages. The Breacher is powered by a 1,500 hp Honeywell
AGT1500 gas turbine engine. It is a multi-fuel engine that can operate on kerosene, diesel,
gasoline, or aviation fuel. It has significantly longer service intervals than diesel engines,
but it is difficult to maintain and has very high fuel consumption when compared to diesels.
In field conditions, the engine can be replaced in 30 minutes. During combat operations,
this armoured engineering vehicle has the speed and mobility to keep up with Abrams tanks.
The Assault Breacher Vehicle is also capable of extreme traversing.
Lastly, we are going to learn about the operational history of the vehicle.
On the morning of December 3, 2009, Marines used breachers in combat for
the first time when they pushed into the Taliban stronghold Nawzad during Operation
Cobra's Anger in Helmand province, on their way to another Taliban stronghold Marjah,
610 kilometers southwest of Kabul, that was to be attacked in February 2010.
According to a December 2009 report, there were five ABVs in Afghanistan at the time,
and the US Marines were said to have plans to field a total of 52 by 2012, of which
approximately 34 had already been produced. The United States Army was said to have ordered 187.
Six ABVs were delivered to the Korean Peninsula in August 2013 for use by
the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) to provide the capability for deliberate and calmly breaching
of mine fields and complicated obstacles. The ABVs would allow the 2ID to clear the heavily
mined Korean Demilitarized Zone, believed to have tens of thousands to millions of mines.
That’s all for today! Thank you for watching and see you in the next episode!