JPADS Looking To The Skies For Support esprit de corps Magazine
Santa Ana,CA - 1 July, 2008
CATEGORY: Product
Upon investigating Canadian casualties in Afghanistan a common theme is evident. Roadside bombs have proven to be the number o ne hazard in this theatre of war. Although such deaths have tapered off recently, this threat is real and nor likely to disappear as long as Canadians troops are stationed in Kandahar.
With this rise in casualties, discussion has centred on how to protect our soldiers from these deadly devices. As such, Canadian troops have seen their vehicle inventories expand from G-Wagons to Nyala armoured vehicles to Leopard 2A6M tanks all in an effort to protect the troops from hidden bombs lying along Afghan roads.
Beyond upgrading the armour on vehicle fleets and operating under strict rules to avoid potential IEDs, there is not much else convoy crews can do to protect themselves from these bombs. As long as Canadian troops are to be deployed outside the wire they will need a supply line to keep them equipped. Thus, attention has turned to the skies.
The main focus of this discussion has been on Canada's need for new helicopters to ferry supplies to troops at forward operating basics. This sentiment has resulted in defence planners now diligently looking to field new Chinook medium-lift choppers in Kandahar as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, new helicopters will not solve all problems. Not only do massive supply choppers reveal troop positions, bur the carcasses of Russian helicopters littering Afghanistan are a stark reminder of what can happen if the insurgents are armed with the proper weaponry. To run a steady supply line using helicopters, some analysts have observed that Canada will need to consider purchasing a fleet of attack choppers to protect these airborne convoys.
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