Check this out. I have seen many pics of RAM/RS w/ EAAK but only this one with the flat plates on the side. This is a reserve unit in OIF1 from Jacksonville, Florida. All of their tracks in the battalion looked like this and they did not add this. The plates are on the other side too.

Is this part of EAAK that is an option?

The marking is interesting too. Most tracks have one chevron, for the platoon as far as I know. Why would there be two here?

I have seen this vehicle before. I believe the plates are added on top of the EAAK. They may be the same plates that were used on the rear sides of USMC guntruck HMMWVs (as pictured).



The up and down chevron was used if you had a 5th PLT or section. The single chevrons (going around clockwise) denoted platoons 1-4.

Just a few more pics :







Close-up :




Looks like the plates are used as replacement parts for the original EAAK ones...

H.P.

When EAAK came out we put it on all tractors and it stayed on until the late mid-late 90s. However, the armor wasn't really made to survive for years on end in the corrosive environment to which it was subjected. Whole sheets would rust and fall off. It was also seriously wearing out the suspension and eng/tran on the vehicle.
The EAAK was removed from all tractors and stored except for the MEU platoon vehicles. From the late 90s to the time it was needed for OIF it sat with minimal attention in the "EAAK" lot behind the Butler building at 3D AABN. In the intervening years pieces went missing and were just discarded.
When the hint we were going to war moved through the battalion it was a panicked scurry to find and organize all the EAAK into vehicle sets. The majority type panels missing were the angled pieces. What was used in their place were upper slope plates, and as you can see they fit well enough.
All the tractors we got off of MPF vessels were the older "straight leg" but had good "EAAK." The tractors with this "ghetto armor" were the vehicles brought in from 3D AABN (Cali).
When we were "done" with the war, or at least the push to Baghdad we retrograded to Ad Dawinya where it was like one massive AmTrac reunion - you had 3RD, 4TH and 2ND AAABNs on deck and people who hadn't seen each other in years. We went through and removed EAAK from the "straight legs" and applied it to RAM/RS vehicles (with no "ghetto armor" versions) for the backload into MPF vessels. When we got back to the states we were back to operating "straight legs" until more AAVs got RAM/RS mod and fielded back to the battalions.
Here couple pics, first three are AAVs at the Test Branch in 98ish. We kept the EAAK on for accurate weight/dimensions during testing. The armor was looking this bad by '95 even, it just didn't hold up to the constant exposure to salt water.
The last couple pics are some of the AAVs we got off the MPF ships in '03 ISO OEF prior to OIF.

Daniel-Great info and pics!

Thanks for the first-hand info Daniel

H.P.

My pleasure, I enjoy the opportunity to share (show off?) my AmTrac pictures and share my experiences from time in service with fellow modelers.

Thanks all. So the markings are as Gino describes?

Hello Daniel,

I have enjoyed what you have shared. Was the P-900 perforated armor in use during your time with the Amtracs? If so, did it fair better or worse in the environment?

Thank you,
Allen