# Bv-206s/  BvS-10 Viking  Family of Vehicles in Afghanistan



## big bad john (24 Sep 2006)

3 Commando Brigade is shortly taking up the role of the British Forces in Afghanistan from 16 Air Assault Brigade.  They will most likely be taking their vehicles with them.  The Royal Marines are equipped with BvS-10 Viking vehicles, a recent upgrade from their old Bv-206s.

Canadian Bv206s performed well with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group during Afghanistan's Operation Anaconda.  Attached to the U.S. Army's 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division as part of a joint force, they were airlifted inside US Army CH-47D Chinooks to an objective called "The Whaleback" as part of the subsidiary Operation Harpoon. 

Senior Analyst Mordica's report "High Altitude" Operations from the Center for Army Lessons Learned (no longer publicly available) noted:  DISCUSSION: The Canadian Army air assaulted small unit support vehicles (SUSV) into the mountains during offensive operations against the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters.  The vehicles were used to move distances over the rough terrain at high altitudes, allowing the infantry to ride or transport their loads into battle.  These vehicles allowed the infantry some small arms protection and helped them beat the fatigue associated with mountain operations.  The SUSV is helicopter transportable and provides all-terrain mobility.  The vehicle performed well in combat.

StrategyPage has a more publicly accessible March 19, 2002 follow-up, with an interesting twist:  Major Chuck Jarnot, 101st Airborne Division Liaison Officer in Afghanistan, noted that the greatest risk to vehicle movement in Afghanistan is not Taliban/Al-Quedas Rocket Propelled Grenades, but rather the millions of land mines laid throughout the country.  The Canadian BV-206 AMV used in Anaconda mitigates this risk by virtue of the very light weight and tracked suspension that results in extremely light ground pressure. 

This not only contributes to its excellent terrain agility but makes anti-tank mine detonation a very small probability since the BV-206 ground pressure is far below the minimum necessary to set off a typical anti-tank mine.

Does anyone care to comment or to add to the discussion within OPSEC parameters.


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## big bad john (25 Sep 2006)

Bump


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## Colin Parkinson (26 Sep 2006)

Is the BVS-10 the armoured version?


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## Kirkhill (26 Sep 2006)

The BvS10 is armoured and larger than the Bv 206.  (5 tonne capacity vs 2.5 tonne IIRC).  The Bv 206S is the Bv 206 with a low profile armoured cab.

http://www.baesystems.se/Hagglunds/default.asp


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