M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), shortly Breacher, and nicknamed The Shredder, is the name of a military vehicle model as first used on a ...
M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), shortly Breacher, and nicknamed The Shredder, is the name of a military vehicle model as first used on a larger scale by the US Marines in the joint ISAF-Afghan Operation Moshtarak in Southern Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan in 2010 against the Taliban insurgency.nThese tracked combat vehicles were especially designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through minefields and along roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices. The 72-ton, 40-foot (12-meter)-long vehicles are based on the M1 Abrams with a 1,500 horsepower engine, but fitted with a 50-caliber machine gun and a front-mounted 15-foot (4.5-meter) wide plow, supported by metallic skis that glide on the dirt and armed with nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of explosives.nnThey were called "the answer" to the deadliest threat facing NATO troops in this conflict. The Breachers are also equipped with M58 MICLIC Mine Clearing Line Charges: rockets carrying C-4 explosives up to 100-150 yards (meters) forward, detonating hidden bombs at a safe distance, so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.nnIn the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicles for this purpose. The Grizzly program was canceled in 2001. The prototype developed never made it to the production lines. The Marine Corps however persisted and funded its own development and testing. The main body of the final model of the ABV is built on the General Dynamics chassis that is used for the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. Pearson Engineering of the UK provided the specially designed plow and the other mine-clearing accessories.nnFollow us:nBlogger - http://warinimages.blogspot.comnFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/WarinImagesnTwitter - https://twitter.com/WarinImagesnnAll of our videos are strictly for news/entertainment and reporting/educational purposes only and for sharing important information with the public. This footage is NOT meant to be violent in any way although it may contain sensitive content to some viewers, viewer discretion is advised. Less
