Canadian troops in Kabul get first G-Wagons

[EvanL]

Kabul — The first beefy new jeeps to replace the ailing Iltis rolled off a transport plane Friday to waiting Canadian troops.

Eighteen new Mercedes-Benz G Wagons were delivered to the Kabul airport, the first of 60 to arrive over the next week. Happy Canadian soldiers got to test out the four-wheel drive armoured jeep on the 20-kilometre drive through downtown Kabul back to Camp Julien.

“I love it,” said Private Martin Lavoie, an army driver who is out in light jeeps almost every day. “It's really impressive. It's really, really good, superior to the Iltis in every way.”

The G-wagon will eventually replace the much-maligned Iltis, a lighter, topless vehicle with no armour.

Three Canadian soldiers have died in the past six months in explosive attacks targeting the Iltis. In October, two soldiers died when at least one anti-tank mine was set off. In January, a soldier died when a suicide bomber targeted his jeep.

Colonel Alain Tremblay, the head of the Canadian contingent in Afghanistan, said the new armoured jeep probably would not have saved the soldiers in the mine attack. However it might have made a difference in the suicide attack Jan. 27 that killed Corporal Jamie Murphy and injured three soldiers.

“This is not a tank,” Col. Tremblay said. “It has a limited anti-mine capability. But it's better than the Iltis, obviously.”

The G-Wagon will be used to bolster Canada's fleet of vehicles for patrols and transport, however some of the smaller Iltis jeeps will remain in use on Kabul's narrow streets.

Most of the 1,900 Iltis in the Canadian fleet have been in service for about 20 years. Frequent breakdowns have plagued the jeep on the Afghanistan mission.

The Canadian government has ordered 802 G-wagons and 1061 sport utility vehicles to replace the Iltis. The arrival of the new jeeps was sped up after the October attack. The rest of the jeeps will be delivered to Canada over the next year


http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/photoarchive/LoRes/%212004/030504a/KA2004-R102-077a.jpg
http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/photoarchive/LoRes/%212004/030504a/KA2004-R102-076a.jpg
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English/Anglais
Ka2004-R102-073a
5 March 2004
Kabul, Afghanistan
The first 18 of 60 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon landed at Kabul's airport on Friday, 5 March 2004. The G-Wagons will replace the aging fleet of Iltis vehicles used by Canada's Army.
1,900 CF personnel are in Kabul as part of Op ATHENA, Canada's contribution to the International Security Assistance Force. Through their continued patrols, they maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding areas so that the Afghan Transitional Authority and UN agencies can function.

Photo: Cpl Chris Connolly, Op Athena Roto 1

Those are some hot looking trucks man.

[[AFSOC]]

COOL!

[usa320]

Am i the only one who thinks G-Wagons sound like something outta a .50 cent song?

[USMarine3521]

humvees are still cooler :D

[EvanL]

humvees are still cooler :D
We got hummers. But they are restricted to the ski team.

[webfoots]

Bling Bling!

Anybody know how much they are paying for these?

[mack pl]

What cars you have before?BTW Russian UAZ is cool ;)

[Ian H]

Just for completeness, I like the Land Rover :D

[Falco]

Humvee rules

[wholagun]

humvees are still cooler :D

one word Benz :D woot

[Lone Predator]

just goes to show you what can be accomplished when people die and the media and opposition party make a huge fuss

lets hope it doesn't take too many deaths before the sea kings are replaced

[scm77]

What cars you have before?BTW Russian UAZ is cool ;)

CF had Iltis jeeps. No armour, no doors the only roof they have is a plastic one that attaches in the rain.

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/photoarchive/LoRes/%212003/112003/KA2003-A426D.jpg

[George W. Bush]

BLING!!!

[AK-Lover]

http://www.e-maxx.net/photos/spinner1.jpg
Now all the DND has to do is order some of these babies for our new benzies and the canadian troops are going to be pimpin' everwhere we go! :P woot

[[AFSOC]]

just goes to show you what can be accomplished when people die and the media and opposition party make a huge fuss

lets hope it doesn't take too many deaths before the sea kings are replaced

Um....first of all the G-Wagons are bought b4 the troops were even sent to Afghanistan dumby.

They've been looking into a new jeep for awhile...and there loooking into a new chopper also.

So b4 you make anymore gay posts do some information first you tool.

Second of all now vehicle can take a MINE blowing up underneath it and a suicide bomber blowing himself up on a jeep.

Tool bag

[MapleLeafInfantry]

]
just goes to show you what can be accomplished when people die and the media and opposition party make a huge fuss

lets hope it doesn't take too many deaths before the sea kings are replaced

Um....first of all the G-Wagons are bought b4 the troops were even sent to Afghanistan dumby.

They've been looking into a new jeep for awhile...and there loooking into a new chopper also.

So b4 you make anymore gay posts do some information first you tool.

Second of all now vehicle can take a MINE blowing up underneath it and a suicide bomber blowing himself up on a jeep.

Tool bag

ok, maybe some things are outside your realm of comprehension. please fill in the blanks

an anti tank mine is designed to destroy a ____

an Suv painted green is not a ____

thus, an anti tank mine will destroy the toughest of ____


- even with armour or explosibve padding underneath the passengers they are screwed, the only difference between the iltis and the g-wagen is the fact that maybe with the Iltis they had the chance to be flung from the exploding vehicle when the mine detonates. The g-wagen is not designed to withstand an anti-tank mine, nor is the green jacked up silverado we just picked up to replace the iltis.

The canadian public had a hard time grasping the concept of anti-tank mine makes tanks go boom so anything smaller with less armour only goes boom easier. It seems you have trouble grasping this concept as well.

- look at the land rover defender, a few days after the canadian incident was attacked by a suicide bomber, just because a vehcile is big, and has windows and doors doesn't mean its any less suceptable or vulnerable to an attack.

before you call someones posts 'gay' and call them a tool bag, maybe you should understand what the purposes of a vehicle are for, and the limitations of the luvw project.

needless slander is the calling card of anundisciplined mind
mli

[MapleLeafInfantry]

I wonder what the roll over rate is with these things, as well as the silverado's...

I mean the iltis you could bushwhack at 80kmh hitting whatever you want...

I hope it is as robust and tough as a well maintained iltis was.. (not withstanding the MANY of the lil vw's problems)
I could never get it stuck, i could drive it at full speed off road and not worry, I could hit small trees, or go through barbed wire and not care about bashing it up a bit... I want to see the amount of work the benz needs after it's been put through its paces..

how is the gwagen for offroading? anyone know?
never driven it, only seen it.

I fear that it might not be as good a recce veh as the iltis was, due to its size....

i'll let you guys know what i think of the silverado after i take it out for a bit.

mli

[Lone Predator]

]
just goes to show you what can be accomplished when people die and the media and opposition party make a huge fuss

lets hope it doesn't take too many deaths before the sea kings are replaced

Um....first of all the G-Wagons are bought b4 the troops were even sent to Afghanistan dumby.

They've been looking into a new jeep for awhile...and there loooking into a new chopper also.

So b4 you make anymore gay posts do some information first you tool.

Second of all now vehicle can take a MINE blowing up underneath it and a suicide bomber blowing himself up on a jeep.

Tool bag


They weren't going to be going to afghanistan, there was a rush to get them there suddenly though. People were critisizing the gov. for not getting them their vehicals years ago claming it would have saved the men who got killed by a TANK mine that not even our LAV's could take. The new G-Wagons may be able to take most of the damage from a mine beneith but if its another tank mine, it doesn't stand a chance.

Secondly, they've been looking into getting a new jeep for like a decade, yeah, I've done my research. Thats more than a 'while'. Looking for a jeep is a LOT diffrent than actually getting off your arse and deciding which one you ant and BUYING them. A few companies were going for it, and 2 dropped out because it got pointless waiting around forever not knowing when this was going to be decided (Including Humvee). I think the other company went out of buisness recently.

They are also looking at new choppers to.... they've been looking at new choppers a long time as well. Promises have been made more than a few times in the past to replace the sea king. Same old story.


Was the name calling neccessary btw? I mean, I can have a debate or something with you if thats what your up for, but common, grow up.

[Backis]

People were critisizing the gov. for not getting them their vehicals years ago claming it would have saved the men who got killed by a TANK mine that not even our LAV's could take. The new G-Wagons may be able to take most of the damage from a mine beneith but if its another tank mine, it doesn't stand a chance.

Actually there are lots of "mine-protected" light (or not-so-light) vehicles out there (f e M1114 HMMWV, Mamba) that can "take" a normal anti-tank mine. Of course the vehicle is toast, but the objective is to protect the crew from fatal injury.

I have no idea wether your G-wagons are so well-protected however

Then again if the mine is "powered up", ie by stacking several on top of each other, adding penetrating projectiles (a sewer grate stacked on top of the mine/mines work very well) or additional explosives, things get a lot more complicated... and dangerous.

[AVZ]

how is the gwagen for offroading? anyone know?
never driven it, only seen it.

I fear that it might not be as good a recce veh as the iltis was, due to its size....



It's fantatsic. we drove another model of the G-Wagon in our reconnaissance-platoon. You get through every terrain.
You can be pleased to call it your countries own. Besides: Germany has had also the Iltis. But it was too old to use. And since at least 10 years we got the G-Wagon.

[fantassin]

I used it with the Norwegians in Kosovo over very steep and muddy ground. They had the stretched, hard top, super equipped version (GPS, several radios...) and it still performed well.

Because that version was very heavy they sometimes had to try several times before negociating a severe obstacle but they always did.

Or else, ask the Marine Recon, the have about 100 IFAV that are nothing but G Wagen with a US accent...

[HELEX]

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/ifav.jpg



Interim Fast Attack Vehicles


(IFAV)



The Marine Corp's Interim Fast Attack Vehicle (IFAV) is a DaimlerChrysler model of the Mercedes-Benz MB 290 GD 1.5 ton truck off-road vehicle built as the Wolf Gelaendegaengige Kleinfahrzeuge {small all terrain vehicle} for the German Bundeswehr. First deployed to a US Marine unit in November 1999, the IFAV replaces its early 1980s counterpart, the M-151 Fast Attack Vehicle, which previously served as a smaller attack version of the humvee. Of major importance to Marine commanders is the increased offensive power the IFAV offers. A primary advantage of the IFAV is its ability to be transported internally by Marine Corps’ workhorse aircraft, to include the CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-53 Sea Stallion, and in the future, the V-22 Osprey. Other improvements to the IFAV have made it far superior to the M-151 in most respects. The M-151 didn’t quite have the mobility, speed, or durability to get Marines into the environments they will need to be in during the 21st century. The M-151’s tendency to tip over as well as the fact that it used flammable unleaded fuel, made it a safety liability. Run by safer diesel fuel and equipped with greater handling ability, the IFAV appears to be tailor-made for the Marine Corps.

[AK-Lover]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun1999/9906176f.jpg
BOOM! See even hummers can't withstand AT mines. :(
Most AT-mines carry 20-30 pounds of explosives, so it is no wonder that jeeps or whatever can't withstand them.[/img]

[ibstolidude]

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun1999/9906176f.jpg
BOOM! See even hummers can't withstand AT mines. :(
Most AT-mines carry 20-30 pounds of explosives, so it is no wonder that jeeps or whatever can't withstand them.[/img]

Although a HMMWV (like most light transport vehicles) canNOT withstand an AT mine...the "uparmored" unlike the one pictured can/have infact stuck AT mines and the crew inside the cab of the HMMWV survived.

Although there are no definites as AT mines vary so greatly in size and shape as do the tactics in which they are employed.

[MapleLeafInfantry]

how is the gwagen for offroading? anyone know?
never driven it, only seen it.

I fear that it might not be as good a recce veh as the iltis was, due to its size....



It's fantatsic. we drove another model of the G-Wagon in our reconnaissance-platoon. You get through every terrain.
You can be pleased to call it your countries own. Besides: Germany has had also the Iltis. But it was too old to use. And since at least 10 years we got the G-Wagon.

well hopefully i get that pleasure, until now its the milcots silverado
http://www.sfu.ca/casr/vehluv3-4.jpg
just like this, but not camo, just olive drab, with a tent on the back, and canada plates.

mli

[Longbranch]

how is the gwagen for offroading? anyone know?
The "G" in Gwagon stands for "gelande". As the Germans love their compound words, they call it Gelandewagen. The word gelande can be loosely translated as "over land" or cross-country. "Gelandewagen" literally means an offroad vehicle.

It was originally designed in the early 70s as a military vehicle, and was so good that Mercedes eventually started selling them in civilian form. The same path taken with the Hummer… so good that people wanted them here… Gelandewagen's have been available to civvies in Europe for over 20 years, and Mercedes started importing them to North America in the last two years.

[Maverick77]

Any working anti tank mine will still blow the living **** out of this thing killing all occupants inside.

Anything short of a modern tank will have almost certain deaths when it hits almost any anti tank mine made within the last 35 years.

Unfortunatly the Canadian public does not understand this because the majority of them are stupid.

So when this thing hits a mine or an IED goes off by it there will be even more bull****.

[Lone Predator]

it occurs to me...

i wonder what they'll be doing with the itlis jeeps after they've replaced them.... seeing as I don't encounter mines or bombers on the way to work I won't have to worry about the 'lack of armour' on one.... deer and dumb people who get in my way are another story

[Genesis]

http://www.celsurplus.com/prices.htm is selling surplus iltis jeeps for 4500 CDN. I'm sure there are more places to get them, this is just one I happened to come across.

[GrimmyRX]

Any working anti tank mine will still blow the living **** out of this thing killing all occupants inside.

Anything short of a modern tank will have almost certain deaths when it hits almost any anti tank mine made within the last 35 years.

Unfortunatly the Canadian public does not understand this because the majority of them are stupid.

So when this thing hits a mine or an IED goes off by it there will be even more bull****.

Anything short of a modern tank OR a LAVII-III that is, lol. Plus those light vehicals designed for the very purpose of letting the crew surivive the mineblast.

[Maverick77]

Any sizeable AT mine will throw that ****in G unit wagon 30 feet in the air.

they are a great improvement agaisnt small arms.

but the thing is if one of these things hits an AT mine the majority of the Canadian public will go nuts.

[Yard Ape]

they are a great improvement agaisnt small arms.
Only if the enemy is using .22 cal biathalon rilfes.

[Steve Railsback]

they are a great improvement agaisnt small arms.
Only if the enemy is using .22 cal biathalon rilfes.
these rifles are so cool :)