The war in Iraq has gone Mad Max.

[Dronetek]

Amazing "Mad Max" vehicles in Iraq

"Mad Max" in Iraq
by Joe Katzman at January 2, 2004 01:13 AM

Trent Telenko sends in a nice follow up to his August 5, 2003 "Return of the Gun Trucks" post and his recent bit on armored Hummers and wartime mobilization. According to this AP dispatch from Jim Krane, it looks like the National Guard can innovate, too:

"We believe we're still in combat," said Carpenter, 24, a lanky suntanned man from Jackson, Mich., one of about 600 soldiers in the Army's 181st Transportation Battalion.
He and other truckers at this sprawling logistical base north of Baghdad are the lifeline for 130,000 U.S. troops flung across this California-sized country. Despite the attacks, they operate supply lines stretching over 800 miles, hauling food for 475,000 meals per day, as well as a million gallons each of fuel and water.

"It's something we're proud of. We're the Road Warriors. We're based on Mad Max," said the 181st's Maj. Robert Curran, 38, of Manchester, Mass. "And we're starting to look the part."


Here's where to find the whole story on Yahoo - if that fails, use the Freep link above instead.


Ford Super Duty gun truck in Southern Iraq (Apr 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128814118_957065e75a.jpg

Ford Super Duty gun truck in Southern Iraq (Mar 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128817245_9569dcd8e8.jpg

Local British security firm driving their GMC gun truck in Southern Iraq (Apr 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128814116_f3801205b9.jpg

Chevy Avalanche gun truck in Southern Iraq (Feb 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128814120_c76bfe2e86.jpg

Ford Super Duty gun truck in Southern Iraq (Mar 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128817244_b0f94aebcd.jpg

Cool looking Chevy with a turret gunner slot cut into its roof. Southern Iraq (May 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/156187891_07edd10850.jpg

Definitely not your average Soccer Mom's SUV in Southern Iraq (Feb 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128826897_8ee41c0f70.jpg

Toyota Land Cruiser gun truck in Southern Iraq (Jan 06)
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/128817243_4d9d6546b5.jpg

Ford Super Duty Pickup
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/143322630_b7d927d73c.jpg

More Pictures
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/01/amazing_mad_max_vehi.html

[Giann53]

Well pimp my ride.They should fit a 20mm chain gun or add a Tow.

[sisqo]

Just goes to show how bad chaos and anarchy in Iraq has spread.

[Campo]

Heyvis there any more photos of that Landcruiser or any others like it?

[el borracho]

It's not because of chaos. The government at home has been doing a slack-assed job for the forward troops in many aspects of logistics. Red tape is costing these guys valuable time and energy...so they're improvising to get the job done. Good for them.

[AFJROTC55]

as insensitive this is in light of the last few comments, that Avalanche is freakin awesome, i'll take two.

1*

[socom6]

It's not because of chaos. The government at home has been doing a slack-assed job for the forward troops in many aspects of logistics. Red tape is costing these guys valuable time and energy...so they're improvising to get the job done. Good for them.
ROFL!!!:cantbeli: Those vehicle pics you see are those of PMCs, not US Army or USMC vehicles.

[Prodigal]

its not that protected against IEDs and RPGs. But its sure will stand against small arms fire though...

Good luck to all Road Warriors...

[eATS]

lot of those photos are on the Chinese threads, they seem to have taken interest over there about them for some reason..

[CSAR]

Very nice, for some reason I like a lot that kind of field modified war machines. Damn ugly but damn cool at the same time.

BTW, how is it possible to tell which of these vehicles belong to these security guys and which to some hostile combatants? I can't see markings on them, so it must be hell for normal soldiers to know the difference. Or is it normal nowadays to own an armed & armored "technical" in Iraq?

[Bert]

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/8065/hillbillyarmor5toncargo6ie.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5215/c2bmadmax1wt.jpg
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/8545/051112f6705c038dg2.jpg

[Flagg]

I'm still waiting to see a proper V8 Ford Falcon :)

[Cpt. Spaulding]

easy stuff for IEDs

[kosse]

easy stuff for IEDs

Still better than nothing to people who don't have access to military vehicles.

[Cpt. Spaulding]

Still better than nothing to people who don't have access to military vehicles.

you are right but the problem is to see those good men work in the mad max style due the lack of armour or apropiate vehicles, i´ve seen enough ied videos to know if find one in their way they are fvcked.

If drive a humvee, apc or main tank is dangerous in iraq these cars..........

God bless them all

[WarriorMonk]

I want to see this in Iraq:

http://www.procrastination-central.com/files/interceptor.jpg

SpyHunter Interceptor FTW

[dave81]

Why is this over-2-year-old article about an Army unit up-armoring their military trucks with hillbilly armor, being posted with pics of civilian contractor vehicles? Here's the full article, dated Dec 2003:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/iraq/2327938.html

On Monday, Iraqi welders clambered over an Army 5-ton truck at Camp Anaconda, converting it into a sinister-looking gun truck -- one of 50 the garage has finished.
They welded 1/2-inch-thick steel plates onto the doors, floor and rear of the cab. They erected a steel-ensconced perch for the passenger-seat gunner. And they covered all but a narrow slit of the truck's windshield with steel plate.
Your post is misleading; these pics are not of any military unit's trucks, they're of civilian PMC trucks.

From the link posted at http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/01/amazing_mad_max_vehi.html
"There's a soldier in Iraq who's been posting some crazy pictures of American SUVs and pickup trucks that have been modified by civilian security contractors for use as gun trucks. They're insane, in a 'Mad Max at the Wal-Mart parking lot' kind of way."

[el borracho]

ROFL!!!:cantbeli: Those vehicle pics you see are those of PMCs, not US Army or USMC vehicles.

Maybe I get my info from some place other than the internet. Returning coworkers of mine said that using civilian vehicles was frowned upon, but it was always a "plan b" if they needed to get the job done.

[Zeev]

ROFL!!!:cantbeli: Those vehicle pics you see are those of PMCs, not US Army or USMC vehicles.

some people should think before talk and saying BS...

[Dronetek]

Why is this over-2-year-old article about an Army unit up-armoring their military trucks with hillbilly armor, being posted with pics of civilian contractor vehicles? Here's the full article, dated Dec 2003:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/iraq/2327938.html
Your post is misleading; these pics are not of any military unit's trucks, they're of civilian PMC trucks.

From the link posted at http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/01/amazing_mad_max_vehi.html
Yeah, whatever. I just thought the modified vehicles were cool. I was presenting this as being army or Marines in the first place.