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The War on Terror isn’t cheap. In 2010, the Department of Defense’s budget will be around $663.8 billion.
But I’m not interested in a discussion about military spending or politics. Instead, check out this modern marvel of engineering: the assault breacher vehicle. Check out the video on the left, and try to ignore the ‘80s metal soundtrack.
Wow. Yep, the assault breacher vehicles are some impressive hunks of metal. Not too bad for $3.5 million apiece. The beast was designed to clear minefields and roadways of improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs. IEDs are responsible for around 40 percent of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, so the assault breacher vehicles could be a boon to our troops in the field.
The breachers are able to push through dirt, sand, and rocks to brush IEDs out of the way. If they detonate, it’s no big deal, according to the AP. The big plow on the front of each assault breacher vehicle is heavily armored, and if there are too many mines, they can launch rockets filled with C4 and detonate enemy materials from a distance.
They look like they could handle just about anything, but the Assault Breacher Vehicles aren’t invincible. Actually, since they’re not completely finished, they only perform missions accompanied by tank retrieval vehicles, in case they need to be dragged back to base!
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