Suddenly, without warning, civilians long weary of not seeing any of the benefits their country's tourism trade which brings in $millions of dollars that has built modern, urban concrete cities--- take to the streets. Their ancient cultures seen as dying, they lash out against every symbol of modernism: cars are over-turned and burned. Shops broken into, looting and terror sweeps the city. Worse than this, the Army run by a dictator is behind it all, paying street-thugs without a purpose or job in life to destroy shops and their owners who refused to pay his "protection" money. American citizens on vacation are trapped in their hotel rooms. The nearest marine corps (mc) meu on Navy amphib ships is a week away. The situation is desperate, the National Command Authorities (NCA) and the U.S. citizens in danger cannot wait: SEND IN THE AIRBORNE.

Suddenly, Army troops appear on the rooftops and in windows firing Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) at the soft-skin vehicles, setting several ablaze. The crowd cheers, all caught on video by CNN camera crews. The enemy resistance builds with each passing hour, the Airborne's hope of a quick victory like in Panama when it had M551 Sheridan light tanks with 152mm main guns, goes with it.

What do we do now, Lieutenant?

U.S. ARMY MPs TO THE RESCUE

Jumping in right along with the Rangers and 82d Airborne Division Paratroopers are Airborne-qualified Soldiers of the 16th MP Brigade who rush to the heavy drop site to de-rig their new Army Security Vehicles (ASV-150s). These wheeled Armored Fighting Vehicles are modern versions of the V-150 armored cars used so well in the Vietnam War. They drive quickly as they hear the call from the BN TF Red advance guard--resistance is stiffening.

Upon arrival, ASV-150s hose-down the buildings with .50 caliber HMG and 40mm autogrenade fire as the wounded Paratroopers are taken back to medical care. The crowd cheers as they withdraw.

Not for long.

Right behind them are a 4 vehicle platoon of ASV-90 Crowd Control/Fire Supports---they disperse 90mm pepper spray cannisters which scatters the crowd. The enemy troops in the buildings open fire, but the ASV-90s stay at a stand-off range, any bullets reaching its hull defected away. Their turrets swerve to the lead barricade and fire HE shells through its mighty 90mm cannon. A huge explosion eliminates it. Then it swivels to the 3rd story of the leftmost concrete high-rise building where the most RPGs are being fired and demolishes it as flames engulf it from secondary explosions from stored RPGs/ammo go off.

The Advance Guard of TF Red continues on the Presidential Palace as resistance crumbles: they know that its futile to fight the Americans, no Somalias" here. The Ruling junta is surrounded at the Palace 2 hours later and shows the "white flag" after several hours of negotiations. The reign of terror is over, and the long process of building democracy begins. U.S. Citizens are safe at the airport awaiting C-17s Globemaster IIIs to fly them to Japan.

WHY WE NEED THE ASV-2000

"Within this evolutionary climate, fiscal realities and the aging of existing systems have resulted in a significant gap in our forced/early entry capabilities. The deactivation of the 3d Battalion, 73d Armor, coupled with the termination of the Armored Gun System (AGS), has created a critical need for enhanced direct fire assault support and anti-armor capabilities for forced/early entry forces".

Official U.S. Army ACTD web site statement

Right now there is not a single airdroppable U.S. Armored Vehicle with a high-velocity gun bigger than 25mm in service. Not one. The low-velocity 40mm autogrenade launcher is also at best a suppressive fire weapon. In fact waiting for so-called "heavier" forces doesn't improve things: the M2A2 Bradley and AAAV are armed with 25mm "popguns", too. The 25mm chain gun is a dismal failure against concrete urban point targets, its really an anti-BMP and open battle area suppressive weapon. The 40mm Mk-19 GMG lobs only a one-pound shell that has to be fired continuously to get penetration effect; it didn't win the fight in Somalia. Accurate aiming into windows will not suffice enemies that shoot through loopholes/slits or on rooftops at extreme high angles. A combat vet from Vietnam:

"By 'trial and error' we learned several helpful points in mind hen deploying the 106mm in a city environment. We found that it was more effective to aim the 106 just below the window where the snipers werre located, rather than fire through the opening. This creates more shrapnel than a round that sails through the room. This is equally true for the LAW and the 3.5 rocket launcher"

CPT G.R. Christmas, Instructor U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance, Nov-Dec 1971 Infantry magazine page 53

Nor can indirect fire from Artillery or naval guns be counted on to work even if they are available:

IN 0531 Combat in built-up areas states:

"The direct-fire system is the most effective fire support in built-up areas. Once a target can be located in a building, one or two direct-fire rounds can accomplish what entire salvos of indirect-fire artillery cannot. Direct fire support is key to success in fighting in built-up areas..."

"Securing and/or clearing a built-up area is very manpower-intensive. A city block in Panama City often included 50 buildings, many of them multiple storied, to include high rises. Most buildings were constructed of concrete reinforced with rebar."

"The 25mm gun produces its best urban target results when fired perpindicular to a hard surface (zero obliquity). In combat in built-up areas however, finding a covered firing position permitting low obliquity firing is unlikely unless the streets and gaps between buildings are wide. Most shots impact the target at an angle which normally reduces penetration. With the armor-piercing, discarding sabot with tracer (APDS-T) round, an angle of obliquity of up to 20 degrees can actually improve breaching. The rounds tend to dislodge more wall material for each shot, but do not penetrate as deeply into the structure"

"Reinforced concrete walls which are 12 to 20 inches thick, present problems for the 25mm gun when trying to create breech holes. It is relatively easy to penetrate, fracture, and clear away the concrete, but the reinforcing rods remain in place"

The 70-ton M1 Abrams tank will incinerate any Soldier trying to walk behind its very hot turbine engine in a city fight, its 12 foot wide, 26 foot long size too big for most Third World Country streets. It does not have high explosive rounds to demolish buildings, only anti-tank rounds. The M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle with 165mm demolition gun has been retired. The 70-ton Abrams cannot be airdropped along with Paratroopers to take advantage of the Airborne Assault's shock action and surprise against the enemy.

"...the U.S. Army has fielded the world's heaviest and most thickly armored tank and infantry fighting vehicle combination: the 70-ton M1 Abrams tank and the 30-ton M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. These vehicles are designed almost exclusively for dueling with other armored vehicles. The M1 mounts a massive 120mm high-velocity direct-fire cannon and the M2 Bradley carries a high-velocity 25mm auto cannon and direct-fire heavy antitank missiles.

The M1 tank's weight and limited main gun elevation reduce its effectiveness in the urban, mountainous and wet terrain typically found in potential theaters of operation such as Korea. Heavy armor often requires extensive engineer assistance to cross natural and manmade obstacles. For example, it took three days of intense bridging efforts to get M1 tanks across the Sava River in Bosnia. Finally, the heavy division, with limited infantry and helicopters, is seldom tasked for operations other than war because it has difficulty projecting presence beyond road networks or valleys."

ASV 2000 with 90mm MULTI-PURPOSE CANNON SYSTEM

Many big-city Police Departments use armored vehicles with battering rams to breach open buildings for police units to enter and arrest barricaded, violent small arms-equipped suspects. In a military setting, this is not practical as the armored vehicle can be hit by RPGs/missiles fired by fully-armed military gunmen before reaching the wall as depicted in the film DieHard and proven in reality in Somalia. Military units with police/peacekeeping missions use a big caliber-cannon to create breach holes and/or convince suspects to surrender. 90mm fire support turrets are available right now, "off-the-shelf" that can be fitted to the ASV to become "ASV-2000s". All it takes is for the MP branch to take the lead on this pressing problem and obtain these turrets/ammunition when all the other branches "passed the buck". U.S. early entry forces need a light air-deployable AFV with a big gun to prevail in urban combat---the ASV-2000 is the way to save the day. Mounting a couple ASVs in every Company of 15 with 90mm guns that could fire existing HE, HEAT, Smoke, and future non-lethal CS, Sticky Foam type cartridges is an investment towards future victory. ASVs weigh roughly the same as loaded 2.5 and 5 ton CAPACITY FMTV trucks (20-22,000 pounds) now in use and can be easily air-delivered by helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. Rick Lathrop's excellent V-100/V-150 and the automatic grenade launchers or a water cannon for riot control or a turret mounting an 90mm low recoil cannon and 2 coaxial medium machine guns. The 90mm gun had effective range of 800 yards. Many "off-the-shelf" 90mm guns available have even greater range and lethality, though the following is a base reference. 90mm ammunition:

Type	Weight
High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)	7.8 pounds
High Explosive Anti-Personnel	11.2 pounds
Smoke	11.2 pounds
Incendiary	11.2 pounds

The Anti-Tank round could penetrate up to 14 inches of class A steel armor. Stowage is 70 rounds of the 90mm ammunition.

90mm ASV 2000 TURRETS NOT A PROBLEM

Dozens of countries have been using 90mm turrets on 4 wheel armored vehicles for years. The typical 90mm high-velocity, low-recoil gun turret adds no more than 5,000 pounds to the base vehicle. This means the ASV-2000 will be far under 30,000 lbs and 15,000 pounds per axle on the C-130 floor. Parking/sleeper shoring plywood under the wheels and/or a stack of honeycomb under the body center could relieve floor pressure. Add retractable small belly wheels like BRDM-1/2 scout cars have to create a third axle point AND improve the ASV's performance in soft mud to prevent bellying out. FM 17-18 Light Armor Operations pgs A-5-12 states:

"Shoring is lumber, planking, plywood, or any other similar material. It serves many purposes. It protects the aircraft cargo floor or 463L pallet surfaces, decreases the approach angle of aircraft ramps, protects airport tarmacs, spreads weight over a larger area, and keeps 463L pallets off the ground.

Shoring is used during airland operations; it is not required for LVAD or LAPES operations. Modern cargo aircraft can carry considerable weight; however, shoring is necessary, particularly for tracked vehicles, to protect the aluminum cargo floors of the aircraft. The organization offering cargo for air shipment must provide shoring.

Not all Military Airlift Command (MAC) [ Air Mobility Command now ] aircraft have the same floor pressure tolerances. Consult the applicable aircraft loading technical order for specific limitations. Items that require shoring on one aircraft may not require shoring on another. USAF aircraft loadmasters will ensure the proper amount of shoring is used.

Light armor units must determine shoring requirements and maintain sufficient stockage on hand. Units must include the following in their logistical planning process:

•Specific amounts of shoring needed for the operation based on number of deploying vehicles and type of aircraft.

•Disposition/storage of the shoring once the aircraft lands at the AO.

•Shoring needed for redeployment and plans to acquire it.

Size and Condition of Shoring. Every planned aircraft load will probably need shoring. The load configuration and weight determine the thickness and width of the shoring to be used. Lengths of shoring can be cut to meet specific needs. For ease of handling, however, the length of shoring should not exceed 12 feet. Plywood also makes good shoring. Four-by-eight foot sheets are ideal for loading tracked vehicles.

Sleeper Shoring. Use sleeper shoring under the frame or axle of any special-purpose vehicle (such as a forklift, scoop loader, or grader) that weighs over 20,000 pounds and has tires that are not designed for highway travel. Sleeper shoring is placed between the aircraft floor and a structured part of the vehicle, such as the frame or axle This type of shoring prevents the vehicle from bouncing up and down and possibly pulling the tie-down rings out of the aircraft floor."

ASV COMBAT LINEAGE

V-100s were used in Vietnam by the US and South Vietnam. Primary U.S. military users were the U.S. Army Military Police and U.S. Air Force Air Police units under the designation of XM-706. Two V-100 models used were a manually operated turret version, and an open top. The Army used the turreted model, AF version had 2 large doors on top that opened to access machine gun mounting points. V-100's are used as mock enemy systems, like the SA-9, for training.

In 1971, the V-150 was produced with a number of refinements including a V-8 diesel engine. In 1985, the V-150S offered a longer wheelbase and by necessity greater weight. Textron Marine and Land Systems (current owners of Cadillac Gage) has been chosen to build the new ASV-150 for U.S. Army MPs. Differences are a fully independent suspension and a different front end enabling better vision for the driver and commander.

The ASV is a light, armored wheeled vehicle offering substantial increases in lethality, mobility and survivability. Its less than 14 ton weight also makes it easily deployable on C-130 aircraft which can carry up 45,000 pounds (Refer to U.S. Army table below):