Iraqi improvised APC's
- Thread starter adeptitus
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Kampfwagen
Junior Member
Welp, these would definately qualify as Technicals.
It's not such an uncommon practice, really. One can usualy modify a civilian truck to carry weapons if one knows their stuff. I heard on this site that some SUV's are being armed with remote-control Defense Turrets, and the use of Technicals in Somalia and Iraq is well documented. They have been used for decades in other countries and are actualy pretty successful if used correctly.
This bad boy is using a ZPU-2 Anti-Air gun. I dont even want to know what that did to the suspension.
Usualy, the trucks are straight civilian, though some are modified with armor in a modification shop. Alot of times though, these guys will scrounge up anything they can find to plaster around the engine compartment. The Iraqi Police force and the U.S Forces there will use Kevlar Blankets, Sandbags, Sheet Metal, old Ballistic Glass and even Plywood. This is called 'Hillbilly Armor' or 'Farmer Armor' in the U.S Army, and 'Haji' by Iraqi's. The Stryker's 'Slat' armor was actualy bassed on the principle of an Anti-RPG system that was originaly used by WW2 Germany and Russia, and was largely an improvised system, so I have heard.
Hope that helps, ahho.
Off subject, sometimes me and some of my friends like to refer to them as 'Ghetto Tanks', though this obviously is not offical.
It's not such an uncommon practice, really. One can usualy modify a civilian truck to carry weapons if one knows their stuff. I heard on this site that some SUV's are being armed with remote-control Defense Turrets, and the use of Technicals in Somalia and Iraq is well documented. They have been used for decades in other countries and are actualy pretty successful if used correctly.
This bad boy is using a ZPU-2 Anti-Air gun. I dont even want to know what that did to the suspension.
Usualy, the trucks are straight civilian, though some are modified with armor in a modification shop. Alot of times though, these guys will scrounge up anything they can find to plaster around the engine compartment. The Iraqi Police force and the U.S Forces there will use Kevlar Blankets, Sandbags, Sheet Metal, old Ballistic Glass and even Plywood. This is called 'Hillbilly Armor' or 'Farmer Armor' in the U.S Army, and 'Haji' by Iraqi's. The Stryker's 'Slat' armor was actualy bassed on the principle of an Anti-RPG system that was originaly used by WW2 Germany and Russia, and was largely an improvised system, so I have heard.
Hope that helps, ahho.
Off subject, sometimes me and some of my friends like to refer to them as 'Ghetto Tanks', though this obviously is not offical.
DPRKUnderground
Junior Member
The Iraqi Army is going to induct the al-Tahla pretty soon. But until these come in bigger number, they're going to be using technicals. Which look mad awesome!
Siddharth said:
Well since they have plenty experience whit Russian equipment and there are tons of Kalashnikov rifles and 7.62x 39 munitions lying around M-16 joust don’t make sense( and M-16 is not such improvement over AK)…
Also they have T-55 and T-72 tanks, BMP-1 and BMP-2 APC, BTRs etc.
Armed pick-ups are used for police duties and convoy protection; they are considerably cheaper then Humvee and anyway Iraq has long history whit there use…
As for western equipment they got western com equipment and SF got NG and aim point sights for their Kalashnikovs.
Kampfwagen
Junior Member
isthvan said:
Technicals can also suppourt some impressive armament. Idi Amin had a personal Jeep that sported a (I think) a cannon which he used to destroy the President's Mansion in Uganda, which was for all intents and porupouses a fortress. And a common sight for technicals in the Anti-Vehicular role is to use a 115MM Recoiless Rifle and can often use Mortars. I have even seen some Technicals use the 14.5MM Russian Heavy Machineguns and the U.S Military used to put 7.62 Miniguns on them.
Technicals can be used for great effect and generaly speaking fit the role that the Iraqi Police require for rapid response in an urban area. And most insurgents are lightly armed and armored, so typicaly all that is needed is a gun-truck.
And I agree with you there, DPRK.
RavenWing278
Junior Member
or maybe they just don't want the new iraqi army to get advanced gear incase one faction or another turn on the Americans so that the US will have the advantage of opposing inferior equipment
The Iraqi Army is being given used equipment most if not all the time. Just recently the Iraqi Army was shipping weapons from the Bosnian Army (there was a scandal because some of those weapons were landing in the hands of the insurgents). There are plently of weapons lying around Iraq, but the new Iraqi armed forces are in dire need of basic things such as guns and bullets (doesn't make much sense to me).
Yes, it's quite true that the US doesn't want to see a too heavily armed Iraqi force. You have to remember that the Iraqi army personell have allegiances more towards tribes and religion than they do to country. Arming them with heavy weapons may not be the best idea.
As for the technicals, an excellent idea I would say. Everybody from Uganda to the Hizbullah in Iran have used technicals with great success in a range of conflicts. These veichles are very fast and pack quite a bit of firepower. I remember in Somalia during the Black Hawk Down incident the Somalians had supertechnicals. Basically these were technicals with four fifty caliber machine guns attached to it!!!:nana:
As for it being effective against the Iraqi insurgents, yes but to an extent. Technicals will get ripped apart by IED's as they are the insurgent's favorite weapons, but if there were a battle between the insurgents and the Iraqi army, those technicals would win.
Why the Iraqi insurgents didn't think of this first is sorta surprising because they are usually one step ahead of the Iraqi security forces. It would pack a serious amount of firepower and be perfect for hit and run attacks.
Yes, it's quite true that the US doesn't want to see a too heavily armed Iraqi force. You have to remember that the Iraqi army personell have allegiances more towards tribes and religion than they do to country. Arming them with heavy weapons may not be the best idea.
As for the technicals, an excellent idea I would say. Everybody from Uganda to the Hizbullah in Iran have used technicals with great success in a range of conflicts. These veichles are very fast and pack quite a bit of firepower. I remember in Somalia during the Black Hawk Down incident the Somalians had supertechnicals. Basically these were technicals with four fifty caliber machine guns attached to it!!!:nana:
As for it being effective against the Iraqi insurgents, yes but to an extent. Technicals will get ripped apart by IED's as they are the insurgent's favorite weapons, but if there were a battle between the insurgents and the Iraqi army, those technicals would win.
Why the Iraqi insurgents didn't think of this first is sorta surprising because they are usually one step ahead of the Iraqi security forces. It would pack a serious amount of firepower and be perfect for hit and run attacks.
crazyinsane105 said:
Well AFAIK Iraqi 9th mechanized division is quite good equipped (old Iraqi and Hungarian T-72MBT, Iraqi and modernized Greek BMP-1, BMP-2, BTR-80, MTLB and some olderT-55MBT).
I agree that currently most of Iraqi army doesn’t have any loyalty to government, especially if we know that most of those men were previously in various religious or tribal militias.
If we know how many guns and ammo weere stored in Iraq it is quite odd that they lack those. I doubt that insurgents managed to take all that guns and ammo.
Technicals are great asset in counter insurgency operations, and they were used quite often by all sides. During Libyan fiasco in Chad Libyans suffered heavy loses to technicals (I remember seeing picture of Toyota armed whit 20mm oberlikon AAgun and one Toyota armed whit small caliber MLRS from that war; also Iraqi Toyota armed whit ATGM from 2003).
Also if we look at military history we might say that one of first examples of technicals usage were WW II Jeeps armed whit 106mm recoil guns, some whit 2 50.cal machine guns etc… Or even WW I trucks whit maxim guns…
We could also say that HUMVEE is nothing more then glorified technical (especially versions whit no armor)