Defender in Kuwait

[overlander]

I'll be leaving Kuwait soon on my way up north. When I left home, I thought I saw my last land rover for a while. Wrong! Nice little muddy oval treat for me on base parked at the Brit's HQ compound! Brit's call this a "snatch".

 

[Snagger]

Yep, the Snatch was designed for use in Northern Ireland, lightly armoured for protection against small arms and petrol bombs. It has been pressed into service in a completely alien environment, and apparently used in the wrong manner by the senior commanders. This has led to a lot of them being destroyed by IEDs and RPGs, with a high casualty rate to boot. They have been crucified in the british media, but the reporters fail to see that the vehicle is in a task and environmet very different to what it was designed for. Thankfully, the UK politicians finally felt some amount of guilt over equipping British Froces so badly, and cobbled together a rushed project that seems to have produced a good vehicle for the task, kinwn as the Jackal/Jackal II.

 

[Antichrist]

You, does look a bit more suitable than the Snatch.

 

[revor]

Nice to see "Ma Duece" still being mounted on armored vehicles!

 

[Yorker]

Is that a SUSAT or ELCAN on that M2? (Or ACOG- I think I remember they were being bought too?)


An FN MAG 58 on there too- too cool!

 

[Snagger]

Is that a SUSAT or ELCAN on that M2? (Or ACOG- I think I remember they were being bought too?)

Probably a SUSAT, given that it's the standard sight on the SA80 and LSW.

 

[telwyn]

Interesting that the V on the door is right side up. On my Lightweight and every other Desert Storm legacy vehicle I've seen photos of, the V is upside down...

 

[UK4X4]

"Interesting that the V on the door is right side up. On my Lightweight and every other Desert Storm legacy vehicle I've seen photos of, the V is upside down... "

Your lightweight is an air portable designed to be parachuted in

they had two versions

succesful landing's
un-succesful landings


Jackel.....I like, although for me the armour needs to be a tad higher,
a small low bullet proof windsreen / shield and windows which flip down when not required and especially for the upper gunner

 

[telwyn]

Well said!

 

[Antichrist]

Your lightweight is an air portable designed to be parachuted in

"The Half-Ton Military Land Rover" documents, among other things, in great detail the developement of the Lightweight and the reasons behind it.
It was so a Land Rover could be airlifted by the Wessex helicopter, not parachuted. Though by time it came in to service the Wessex was surpassed by helicopters with a greater lift capacity. It's design was also so two could be loaded side-by-side in a cargo plane (I forget which one, hence why they are narrower than normal 88's.

There are other Land Rover books that do as well, like "Land Rover, the Unbeatable 4x4.

There were other "airportable" Land Rovers as well, namely stripped down 109's that could be stacked inside a cargo plane.

 

[Snagger]

It's design was also so two could be loaded side-by-side in a cargo plane (I forget which one, hence why they are narrower than normal 88's.

There were other "airportable" Land Rovers as well, namely stripped down 109's that could be stacked inside a cargo plane.

The "Beverly" and "Argosy".

The British Army Parachute Regt had some modified 90s that had removeable tub sides (above the wheel arch level) that allowed one to be stacked on another on parachute dropping cradles for deployment from Hercs.

 

[overlander]

You, does look a bit more suitable than the Snatch.

I'm so glad I started this thread, because ironically, the day after I read this response on the Jackal, I saw 3 of them in Baghdad, and was able to identify what they were! BTW, the ones I saw are now fully enclosed, like our MRAP's. Common sense won the day.