combatreform.org/LIGHTMECHANIZEDSAPPERS

1. Light Mechanized Sapper Company (Airborne)
What You Should Take Away from this Briefing:
U.S. Army Forced-entry forces need an Armored
Combat Engineer capability to succeed against
enemy Surveillance Strike Complexes
A forced-entry Armored Combat Engineer
capability could be quickly created using existing
personnel & equipment
Costs to create this capability are small as most
logistics supports are already in place
This is an urgent national strategic priority that
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has to be acted on immediately

2. U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps must be able to rapidly
air-deploy anywhere in the world to overcome enemy
Surveillance Strike Complex observation/fires--must be
able to clear Assault Landing Zones quickly and
without casualties: Light tracked armored vehicles
needed so decisive follow-on-forces can airland

3. Bird’s Eye view: even a Short Take-Off
and Landing (STOL) strip is a large area
for ground forces to secure and clear for
airlanding

4. Army Sappers must clear a The Threats
large open-area, minimally 3,000
feet by 100 feet landing strip of
all threats, obstacles and
foreign objects so rubber-tired
aircraft can airland follow-on-
forces in just 4 hours... Foot Soldiers vulnerable to enemy fires
*Small-Arms fire
*Mortars
*Machine Guns
*Grenade launchers
*Artillery
*Mines
*Obstacles

5. M113A3 Engineer Squad Vehicle: light
tracked armored vehicle in U.S. Army
service today
M113A3 ESVs lead
way into Bosnia
FM 7-7
Goes U.S. Army Europe Immediate Reaction
anywhere! Force uses C-130 airlanded M113A3s

6. M113 Proven in combat; on
duty today all over the world by
free world armies...
Lebanon
Panama
East Timor
Vietnam
Iraq

7. M113A3 ESV Armor Protects Sappers from enemy
threats in order to accomplish the mission
Tracks not stopped by fires

8. M113A3 ESV tracked mobility delivers Sappers
rapidly/safely to clear large open areas; can push
aside, crush large vehicle-emplaced obstacles
without time-consuming hand reduction (dozer
blade and bump guards can be fitted)

9. Current Light Airborne Combat Engineers DO
MICLIC on
M200 tracked NOT HAVE A WAY TO SAFELY FIRE THEIR
trailer
MICLIC/EMSC “Mongoose” mine clearing
charges!
Armored M113A3 ESVs can
tow, then fire rocket line
charges for Airborne Light
HMMWV trucks Mechanized Sappers!
MICLIC
Dump trucks
FMTV trucks
Sappers on foot =
No in-stride
breach capability!
M113 ESV with MICLIC in Desert Storm combat!

10. M113A3 ESV: 11-ton AFV easily Airborne,
rapidly deployable to anywhere in the world
by airdrop/airland
airland
airdrop
All needed expertise ready at Fort Bragg and Pope AFB

11. Airborne-qualified Sappers on jump status
already in place at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
to employ M113A3 Engineer Squad Vehicles
(ESVs) instead of rubber-tired, unarmored
HMMWVs: already successfully used at JRTC
Airborne Sappers @JRTC
with borrowed M113A3 ESV

12. M113A3 ESV: Air Assault transportable by
U.S. Army helicopters
Flies over enemy mines
and ambushes to do CE
operations on terrain of
our choosing like British
Army entered Kosovo in ‘99

13. M113A3 ESV: tracks off-road capable for bold
cross-country movement to avoid enemy
SSC observation/fires, ambushes and
secure/clear key terrain for maneuver forces
YES!
NO!
Tow cable to tracked
vehicle to pull LAV out
of mud

14. M113A3 ESV: amphibious capability forces
entry across rivers/lakes
Secures far side for
safe Bridging under
armored firepower
Army maneuver
forces cannot wait
on near bank for a
crossing under
enemy SSC fires!
We must forge ahead
and secure the far ground!

15. M113A3 ESV: Sappers situationally
aware, ready-to-fire =
force protection, mobility enabled
Firepower under
armor the enemy
is hard pressed
to stop--allows
Sappers to clear
areas of mines,
obstacles and enemy
360 degree security

16. M113A3 ESV: plenty of space
for CE equipment,
supplies, troop gear and a
full Sapper squad
Extra
space
LGH behind
spall liners
Sappers dismount with all
necessary gear to accomplish
mission--no rummaging for gear
strapped to outside

17. M113A3 ESV: applique armor
proof against small-arms fire,
RPGs, autocannon and shrapnel:
keeps on going, gets Sappers to
their objective
M113A3 LAV-III
M113A3 ESV: Harder to hit

18. M113A3 ESV: UPGRADES
C4I Band-Tracks
Remote gun station FLIR camouflage
Rollers/plows to clear obstacles

19. Designated M113A3 ESVs: Twin TOW ATGM
launcher/.50 cal HMG pedestal provides building
and bunker-busting capability in MOUT with
HEP or FAE round, anti-tank self-defense

20. ...or Bradley 25mm/7.62mm/TOW 2-man
turrets can be fitted to designated M113A3/4
ESVs to provide bunker-busting fire: still
transportable in C-130 aircraft

21. Another option: 25mm/7.62mm pedestal gun
with TOW ATGM launcher for building/bunker-
busting capability
Singapore Armed
Forces M113 ULTRA

22. ASP-30 30mm Autocannon
Mounts on existing AFVs
Lethal to enemy troops,
vehicles, aircraft, buildings
Shoots same ammo as
Gas-operated, Easy to AH-64 Apache, AV-8B
maintain, clean, assemble, Harrier II
dissassemble

23. JAVELIN FIRE/FORGET FLIR
MISSILE
Kills all tanks
“Fire & Forget”: by top-attack
missiles guides to 2 KM
itself to target
using infared
Command
Launch Unit
is FLIR Destroys
thermal buildings,
imager bunkers,
capable of aircraft by
detecting direct-
enemy heat No backblast firing attack if
signatures signature selected

24. Light Mechanized Sapper Company (Airborne)
U.S. Army Forced-entry forces need an M113A3 Engineer
Squad Vehicle Armored Combat Engineer capability to
succeed against enemy Surveillance Strike Complexes
The M113A3 ESV forced-entry Armored Combat Engineer
capability can be created quickly using existing personnel &
equipment
Costs to create a Light Mechanized Sapper Company
(Airborne) with M113A3 ESV forced-entry armored CE
capability are small since logistics support/expertise are
already in place at Ft. Bragg
The LMS (A) Company is an urgent national strategic
priority that should be created immediately
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