Hi

While looking for RG-31 pics, I've stumbled across this :



Another view :



Any idea ? (ID ? )

TIA

Frenchy

Normally I'd suggest you ask Frenchy, but that won't work in this case....

The best quote of the week

Well done Sean

I thought it may have something to do with devices used for roadblocks.

You can see some shape similarity with these :



Frenchy

Can you post the uncropped image? Context can help sometimes. First glance I'd think it's some type f barrier for snap TCPs.

Here's one of the two pics :



Frenchy

My first thought also was that the parts are used for mounting concertina/razor wire for barriers. However, thinking this over and after looking at the pics further I am thinking that isn't the case.

Although they look like they might be "field modifications" the design looks to me to be too complicated for wire mounting posts. IMHO, it would take a lot less extra work for someone in the motor pool to come up with a more simple design to hold wire. Plus, the area that houses these parts normally was the place to mount a spare tire.

Again, IMHO, I'd think that if I were the soldier driving the vehicle, I'd NOT sacrifice a spare wheel just for a place to store simple barrier wire mounts. I'd keep the tire and toss the wire mounting parts on top of the vehicle or tie them down somewhere.

With all this being said, I think there is a definite IMPORTANT purpose to these parts and I'm thinking they are some sort of armor; a modified anti-RPG "cage" perhaps? Maybe the "bad guys" were targeting the vehicle at the spare tire mount and it turned up being vulnerable? So, someone came up with these mounted parts to protect that area, without having to mount "birdcage" armor over the entire vehicle?

Just my WAG (Wild A** Guess)...

They look like a sort of foldable "czech" hedgehogs...

Okay, so we're looking at a truck from probably the pre 2009-2010 time frame at the latest judging by the windows and ACU uniforms and Buffalo SLAT armor. The firing port windows for RG series were supposed to be replaced per an MWO by then. It's proximity to a Buffalo could mean it's an RCP truck, but that's reaching. I don't think it's some type of improvised armor, looks way too complicated in it's construction for that and it would be far easier and effecive to just mount the spare tire there to get the same result. I'm still going with some type of barrier, either that or some type of engineering tool but that 12 series stuff is way out of my lane so I'll let someone with more intimate knowledge of them discuss that. The construction quality makes it look like it's a factory or depot part.