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M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle

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The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) is a U.S. military mine- and explosives-clearing vehicle, based on the M1 Abrams chassis, equipped with a mine plow and line charges. Its first large scale use by the US Marines (USMC) was in the joint ISAF-Afghan Operation Moshtarak in Southern Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan in 2010 against the Taliban insurgency.

M1150 assault breacher vehicle
A US Army M1150 assault breacher vehicle during an exercise in 2014
TypeMilitary engineering vehicle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2009–present
Used byUnited States Army
United States Marine Corps (2009–c. 2023)
Armed Forces of Ukraine
Wars
Production history
Unit cost$14 million (FY 2009)[1]
No. built239
Specifications
Length40 feet (12 meters)
Crew2
Main
armament
M58 MICLIC
Secondary
armament
1 .50 BMG M2 machine gun mount on top of the vehicle.

The USMC had retired the ABV as of 2023.

Design and purpose

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These tracked combat vehicles were specifically designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through minefields and along roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices. The 72-ton, 40-foot-long (12 m) vehicles are based on the M1 Abrams with a 1,500 horsepower engine, but fitted with only a .50 cal machine gun and a front-mounted 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) plow, supported by metallic skis that glide on the dirt and armed with nearly 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) of explosives.

They are equipped with linear demolition charge system (LDCS): rockets carrying C-4 explosives up to 100–150 yards forward, detonating hidden explosives at a safe distance, so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.[2]

In the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicles for this purpose. The Grizzly program was cancelled in 2001, and the prototype developed never made it to the production lines. The Marine Corps however persisted and funded its own development and testing. The main body of the final model of the ABV is built on the General Dynamics chassis that is used for the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. Pearson Engineering of the UK provided the specially designed plow and the other mine-clearing accessories.[3][4][5]

Operational history

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Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion launch a line charge from an assault breacher vehicle.

In the morning of December 3, 2009, for the first time breachers were used in combat, when Marines pushed into the Taliban stronghold Nawzad during Operation Cobra's Anger in Helmand province, on their way to another Taliban stronghold Marjah, 380 miles (610 kilometers) southwest of Kabul, that was to be assaulted in February 2010.[6][7][8][9][10]

On February 11, 2010, two breachers fired explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani to test Taliban defenses on the eve of Operation Moshtarak when closing off the enemy's escape route.[11][12][13][14]

On February 13, 2010, on the first day of the operation, breachers of the US Marines 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion succeeded in digging and blasting "safety lanes" through the numerous minefields laid by the Taliban around Marjah.[15][16]

According to a report in December 2009, there were then five ABVs in Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines were said to have plans to field a total of 52 by 2012, of which about 34 have already had been produced. The U.S. Army was said to have ordered 187.[17]

By August 2013, six ABVs were brought to the Korean Peninsula to be used by the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) to provide the capability for deliberate and in-stride breaching of mine fields and complex obstacles. The ABVs would allow the 2ID to clear the heavily mined Korean Demilitarized Zone, believed to contain tens of thousands to millions of mines. A previous deployment of MRAP mine-resistant vehicles to South Korea caused North Korea to accuse their presence as vehicles that would cross the DMZ for an attack of the country; the MRAPs were later withdrawn due to their unsuitability for the terrain. North Korea has not publicly responded to the ABVs' arrival on the peninsula.[18][19]

In 2019, the USMC's Force Design 2030 decision to divest of its Armor component included the ABV. This divestment transferred the majority their ABV inventory to the Army. This action resulted in the US Army being the sole branch of the US Military with under-armor mechanical breach capability.[20] As of 2023, the USMC had divested the ABV.[21]

In April 2021 the US Department of State approved the sale of 29 M1150s to Australia, where they will be operated by the Australian Army.[22]

Russo-Ukrainian War

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Russian invasion of Ukraine

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In November 2023 an ABV was shown in Ukraine during a ceremony to commemorate Ukraine's Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery and Engineering Troops Day.[23][24]

On February 22, 2024 an M1150 was lost in combat for the first time in Avdiivka, Ukraine.[25] On 3 March, another M1150 was visually confirmed lost in combat near the village of Berdychi, Avdiivka.[26]

Operators

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Current operators

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Future operators

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Former operators

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.deagel.com/Armies/M1150%20Assault%20Breacher%20Vehicle/a004118
  2. ^ "Marines push 'The Breacher' against Taliban lines"[dead link], Washington Post
  3. ^ "Marines roll out Assault Breacher Vehicles for Marjah Afghanistan offensive - When Marines rumble into the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province for one of the largest offensives of the Afghanistan war, they'll be battle-testing a powerful new weapon, the Assault Breacher Vehicle", Christian Science Monitor
  4. ^ "US Marines push their ultimate mine clearance weapon, 'The Breacher,' against Taliban lines"[permanent dead link], San Francisco Examiner
  5. ^ "MV-22 and ABV Meet Expectations", Military.com
  6. ^ ""Marine assault - Operation Cobra's Anger"
  7. ^ "Marines Blast Through Now Zad With Assault Breacher Vehicles" Archived February 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Monster mine-clearing tank goes to work in Afghanistan" Archived December 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Combat Camera: US Marines Take Now Zad During Operation Cobra's Anger, Part 1"
  10. ^ "United States Marines Corps deployed for the time in Afghanistan the new engineer armoured ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle"
  11. ^ "Taliban escape route sealed before attack"
  12. ^ "US and Afghan troops ring Taliban stronghold"[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Marines test Taliban defenses before Afghan attack"
  14. ^ "Two U.S. Marine Assault Breacher Vehicles (ABV), test-fire explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani"[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Marine assault vehicles key to Afghan strategy – As U.S. and Afghan troops prepare for an offensive in Helmand province, the Assault Breacher Vehicle – a cross between a tank and a bulldozer – is intended to conquer the terrain and roadside bombs"
  16. ^ "Taliban leaders flee as marines hit stronghold"
  17. ^ "New Marine Tech Slams into Helmand"
  18. ^ MRAP No Good for Korea, 2ID Decides - Military.com, 16 August 2013
  19. ^ The ABV Assault Breacher Vehicle is deployed by U.S. Army in South Korea – Armyrecognition.com, 20 August 2013
  20. ^ Gonzales, Matt (2021-12-01). "Force Design 2030: Divesting to meet the future threat". United States Marine Corps Flagship. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  21. ^ Keys, William; Richard, Ronald (6 March 2023). "Marine combat engineers no longer capable of supporting the infantry". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  22. ^ a b Kadib, Charbel (3 May 2021). "Defence procures $2.5bn in AFVs, CH-47F Chinooks". Defence Connect. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  23. ^ "On the occasion of the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery and the Engineering Troops Day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presents state awards to Ukraine's defenders". PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY Official website. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Ukraine's Troops Were Reinforced by the American M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle | Defense Express". en.defence-ua.com. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  25. ^ "Ukraine Has Only A Few American-Made Assault Breacher Vehicles. It Just Lost One Outside Avdiivka". 22 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Second Abrams tank & mine-clearing vehicle destroyed in Ukraine conflict – media". Conflict media. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  27. ^ "Chapter Three: North America: Regional trends in 2022 16; United States: defence policy and economics 18; Canada: defence policy 28; Arms procurements and deliveries 29; Armed forces data section 32". The Military Balance. 123 (1): 16–49. 2023-12-31. doi:10.1080/04597222.2023.2162715. ISSN 0459-7222. S2CID 256848739.
  28. ^ Axe, David. "The United States Quietly Gave Ukraine the Assault Breacher, a Special Vehicle For Breaking Through Russian Defenses". Forbes. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  29. ^ Nikolov, Boyko. "US mine-clearing vehicle M1150 falls into Russian possession".
  30. ^ Ratka, Damian (21 November 2023). "Assault Breacher Vehicles for the Polish Army". defence24.com. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Romania – M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks". Defense Security Cooperation Agency. 9 November 2023.
  32. ^ "BAHRAIN – M1A2 ABRAMS MAIN BATTLE TANKS". Defense Security Cooperation Agency. 19 March 2024.
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