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!