Canadian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

rommel said:

we only use wheeled vehicule in operation, some LAV crew of my group-brigade told me that they maintain a minimum of 40 to 50 in urban zone and if the road are larger enough,they can go at 90. You were right, the LAV-III is higher than the Leo C2 by 18cm... The clothe the soldier program is entirely issued, I'm in the Canadian Army Reserve, Infantry, and all my gears are the newest execpt for my CADPAT BDU (I received it 2 years ago)... And the Griffon, which of chopper is that for you ?? Well, the only thing that I realized that we need was better food, but since we had some of the best MRE in the world, I cannot ask better...

-Just curious, do you have any military experiance ??

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rice said:

The clothe the soldier program is entirely issued? you're sure now

you have a cadpat rucksack? or the ICE system?




the griffon fits eight troops, five in winter

that's not medium lift

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my military experience originates from the same army you currently belong to

any speed exceeding 40km/h on any urban road in most failing or failed countries is unattainable

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rommel said:

yes I have a cadpat ruck sack and the ICE system, okay, you're right, Friffon is a light chopper, medium lift will be more of the black hawk style...

In which unit you were ?? Or you're still in ?

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Artillery’s new guns increase range, accuracy
Friday, December 02, 2005

FORT SILL, Oklahoma — The new M777 155mm howitzer coming into service with the Artillery in November will extend the range and lethality of fire missions supporting ground operations.

The Triple 7, as gunners call it, is a lightweight 155mm towed howitzer that is air-portable and air-droppable. The design is the result of a joint British-American project, with the guns being manufactured in the United States.

Firing conventional munitions, the gun has a range of 30 km. With precision munitions, such as the Excalibur round, the range can reach 40 km, with the first rounds being effective. The increased accuracy of the Excalibur round is due to the built-in global positioning system guidance system.

"With the equipment we've been using until now, it would sometimes take up to eight minutes after receiving a fire-mission request to have effective rounds hitting the target. With a digitized Triple 7, effective fire can be achieved in under two minutes," said Major Paul Payne, Chief Instructor in gunnery at the Field Artillery School in Gagetown.

Conventional munitions will still require ranging and bracketing to get rounds on target, giving an aggressor with mobility time to move away from the impact area as adjustments are made. With the Excalibur round, commanders and forward observation officers can deliver lethal blows with the first and subsequent rounds.

Staff Sergeant Joseph Andrews, an instructor at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, has assisted with training the first Canadians who will use the Triple 7. The 19-year veteran, who has had many tours in combat zones, does not hesitate to describe the Canadian gunners as " a well motivated and well disciplined group of soldiers…very professional."

Staff Sgt Andrews has a depth of experience as an artilleryman and sums up the Triple 7 this way: "This weapon is high speed, and can always stay in the fight no matter what happens. It's awesome."

After extensive trials and shoots, the first new guns built for the Canadian Army were delivered on November 26, in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. The gun represents a major leap in technology and its first use in an area of conflict will be with Canadian gun crews.

With a digitized Triple 7, effective fire can be achieved in under two minutes.
— Major Paul Payne

A joint Canadian-American New Equipment Training Team (NETT), established at Fort Sill, was CFB/ASU Shilo for the arrival of the M777 to conduct further training and live shoots.

Following the shoot, the Canadian component of the NETT will be established in the Field Artillery School at the Combat Training Centre, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

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Meagan Fitzpatrick, CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, September 15, 2006

OTTAWA — More troops and tanks will soon be on their way to Afghanistan, the Department of National Defence announced Friday.

Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, provided details at a news conference in Ottawa and said the decision to send about 200 more troops was based on assessments from the field and feedback from returning soldiers.

Troops from Valcartier, Que. will be deployed "immediately" to Afghanistan "to provide a quick reaction force for Kandahar City, and to undertake defence and security tasks," according to a news release from National Defence.

The fresh troops will bring the total number of Canadian Forces soldiers in Afghanistan to about 2,500.

"We have reached the stage where, with a small increase in personnel and equipment, we can dramatically multiply our opportunities to secure and stabilize the region," Hillier said in a statement. "The sooner we can provide the security and stability, the sooner we can help the Afghan people develop a positive and independent future for themselves and their children."

In addition to more troops, the military is preparing to send a squadron of Leopard tanks to Afghanistan. Four of the tanks will be transported by air in the next few weeks, with more to follow. It will be the first time the heavy-tracked armoured vehicles will be used in a combat situation. A warning order was issued last week to the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) in Edmonton to prepare for the deployment of the tanks.

The tanks will be used in "areas where Taliban forces have established well-coordinated and determined defences," said the National Defence news release. A counter-mortar capability to locate Taliban forces that are targeting Canadian Forces with mortars will also be part of Canada’s increased role in Afghanistan.

Hillier said he expects the added troops and tanks to boost the morale of soldiers in Afghanistan.

"We told our young men and women when we sent them to Afghanistan that we’re asking them to do a job that is very worthwhile, the mission is just, we know that the risk is high, but that we would ensure that they had the necessary capabilities and the necessary tools to do the job and indeed that’s what we’re doing in this case," he told reporters.

The decision to ratchet up Canada's force comes as military officers acknowledge they underestimated the resilience of the Taliban.

NATO has been asking for more equipment and soldiers from its allies to deal with the increasing threat in southern Afghanistan.

It has called on 37 countries, including Canada, to increase their commitment to the war-ravaged country, saying hundreds of more combat troops are needed to battle the stronger-than-expected insurgency.

NATO’s top commanders made the case for more troops and aircraft, particularly helicopters, at a two-day meeting with top NATO generals in Warsaw last weekend.

Hillier said Canada’s new deployment is not directly a response to NATO’s request for more troops. "It is our reassessment of what we needed to do in our task force to give us the best balanced task force, the best balance of capabilities and numbers and equipment in theatre to be successful in the mission that we specifically have taken on."

The added troops and equipment will be dedicated to securing the region around Kandahar, providing security to the Provincial Reconstruction Team, and will allow for greater mobility on the ground and improved security for the troops, said the news release from National Defence.

The decision was made "in light of the changing tactical situation in the area," it said.

Hillier told reporters Taliban fighters have shifted their tactics and are also using different and more forceful weaponry.

"We’re all aware that conditions have changed. We saw more of the Taliban than was predicted over the past six to 12 months by any of the international community organizations involved," he said.

© CanWest News Service 2006

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OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet (three meter) high marijuana plants.


General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said on Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana.
"The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices ... and as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa.

"We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.

Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.

"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hillier said dryly.

One soldier told him later: "Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I'd say 'That damn marijuana'."

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