Mobility.
Fortunately, their is a compact solution that is capable of transporting 10 Infantryman per vehicle and is capable of being carried internally in CH-53 or CH-47 aircraft.
Introducing KMW's Mungo.
Multimission deployment range
The MUNGO family of air-portable vehicles is tailored specifically to the requirements of highly-mobile airborne forces: airportable in a CH53 or CH47, protected, highly-mobile, multi-purpose and logistically easy to supply. Weighing just 5.3 tons overall, the MUNGO can transport ten fully equipped soldiers. The MUNGO is the ideal solution for deploying airportable forces in crisis situations. The vehicle can be disarmed for loading on a CH53 or CH47 transport helicopter or armed for deployment in only five minutes. C130 and A400M transport aircraft can even be used for transporting two or three MUNGOs together with their ten-man crew. The MUNGO can also be transported by helicopter as an external load.
Nice vehicle if used properly in the support/log role. Otherwise, stick with 4x4 "jeeps" (the shorty Humvee, Landrover or Mercedes G-types) or go tracked with BV-206S/BvS-10.
ReplyDeleteTrouble with the Mungo is that it can be armed and armoured - doing that will turn it into an overburdened turtle off-road. Ground clearance, while adequate, isn't great.
Holland took a serious look at the Mungo (and the Wiesel-II) but considered their qualities not worth the extra investment - we took the jeep/BV road.
The Army was also offered a modified Wolf (military Mercedes G) called Einsatzfahrzeug für spezialisierte Kräfte or ESK. (site's in German but there are pictures of the Wolf ESK: http://www.panzerbaer.de/helper/bw_lkw_00-5t_gl_wolf_esk_liv-a.htm). There were two variants an ambulance and a light infantry vehicle or personnel carrier. But for some reason they decided on the Mungo which meant that logistics would have to support another vehicle (the Bundeswehr is practically patchwork of different vehicles starting at the company or battalion level) and now the troops complain that you cannot use the Mungo in difficult terrain like Afghanistan (wear and tear plus maneuverability). It can only be used for air assault or airborne operations and that's it. However, they bought a ESK based vehicle for the KSK.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, the Mungo shows me again that the procurement process in the German military sucks balls! Sometimes I wish we would be more like the Dutch, except caravans and clogs, that's just weird.
and chocolate bloody sprinkles on everything!!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see a diverse range of vehicles you should look at the British Army
"...like the Dutch, except caravans and clogs, that's just weird."
ReplyDeleteLOL!
Gentlemen.
ReplyDeletei so disagree with most of you. if we're going to have specialized forces and if we're going to disperse them in widely separated areas, then some type of transport is essential.
additionally, at least in the US, our airborne forces are foot mobile which places them at a disadvantage against the new breed of insurgents which operate in technicals (thinking somalia here) so once we're out of Afghanistan, i can see those small, highly mobile, highly armed vehicles making a comeback as a threat.
i really like the vehicle and with it being internally transportable, i see it as a winner.
Well the British always had the option of loading a Land Rover WMIK inside a Chinook, that would provide a decent amount of firepower, or normal Land rovers for transport. Not sure if the Jackal can go in or under a Chinook. I guess we do still have the Vikings.
ReplyDeleteUntil the FRES-SV vehicles come online (at 40 tons each), we still have a damn good heli-transportable fire support vehicle in the CVR(T) Scimitar (an 8 ton 30mm cannon equipped light tank for those who don't know)
Sol, wouldn't a 40mm grenade be enough to take out a technical (never had a chance to see one in action against a target like that). Apart from that don't your airborne forces carry LAWs (or whatever new acronym they have)?
Actually, I like the idea of giving airborne or air assault forces a transport vehicle (in Germany I think they used to have Unimogs), but why is it impossible to keep a coherent vehicle fleet? The Mungo's vehicle class is important, but the vehicle itself is just a waste of money (if you're already using Mercedes G/Peugeot P4/...).
ReplyDeleteSol, it depends on how you are going to use the vehicle.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Mungo is a good vehicle, but it is NOT a fast attack "raider". The British SAS used Landrovers to raid SCUD sites during Iraq '91; nothing too fancy, just guns on wheels.
Effective, but those 'pinkies' weren't tanks.
Airborne/Air assault forces are just that: assault forces with a specific attack mission, usually with a limited time-frame as they don't carry much bullets and beans on their backs.
It's all too tempting to use the Mungo (or similar light trucks) as a kind of "Frankentruck" Super-technical, and it's a bit too vulnerable for that imo.
The trouble with motorizing airborne troops is that once their (airborne) vehicles break-down, they loose a lot of wheeled capacity because they have so few to start with (in the field). Not to mention that Abn forces are by definition light on technicians and spare parts.
I'm all for giving ground troops some mobility on the ground, but those vehicles must be adequate in cross-country, easy to maintain with some decent armor and weapon, without overburdening the troops they are suppose to support.
Mungo sucks and is a serious disappointment in German service.
ReplyDeleteProtection, off-road qualities and durability are not satisfactory.
Sven,
ReplyDeletepoint taken and since you're in Germany you have better visibility on the program than i do.
but the concept is attractive and if distributed operations are the new mode of operations then if not the Mungo then at least a vehicle that has its capabilities would be nice.
remember this too. the USMC is buying the Growler which is even more lightly armed and infinitely less mobile than the Mungo all because it can be carried internally in the V-22. a squad carrier that can fit in a CH-53 would definitely interest officials here.