Re-Inventing the Wheel Again
Abstract
Transportation is the Achilles heel of any counterinsurgency operation. U.S. Forces must overcome many challenges to resupply forces on the front lines in Iraq. But the transportation methods used do not have to be new. One can dust off old tried-and-true methods that were used in the Vietnam War, such as aerial delivery and gun trucks, and update them to suit today's battlefield. Since the Vietnam War air delivery techniques have been updated. Examples included the Sherpa system and improved container delivery systems (CDS). The Sherpa system is based on square parachutes to control the location of landings coupled with a global positioning system to deliver the loads to within a 50-meter circle of the drop zone center. A limitation of the Sherpa system is that it can only be used with loads of 500 pounds or less. The Air Force is currently working on developing weather system pods to help adjust the parachute on the CDS's guidance system to detect, track, and plot wind speed and the direction to accurately delivery drop loads in excess of 2200 pounds. In addition to pulling aerial delivery techniques off the shelf, convoys need to have additional firepower organic to them to repel enemy attacks. War Wagons and Gun Tracks are old ideas that should be dusted off and updated. War Wagons and Gun Trucks came into existence during the Vietnam War to counter Viet Cong ambushes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA507092
Entities
People
- Fitzgerald
Organizations
- Marine Corps University