Division's aim is more humvee firepower

[thedrifter]

Division's aim is more humvee firepower
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 200434155436
Story by Lance Cpl. Samuel Palmer



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(March 4, 2004) -- Heavily armed humvees are in the Marine Corps' future ? but will they come soon enough to help Marines in Operation Iraqi Freedom?

If Maj. Gregory G. Frich has his way, they will.

"Our intent is to make this mount available for OIF II as soon as possible," Frich, 1st Marine Division's ordnance officer, said about a prototype mount that allows attachment of several crew-served machine guns on vehicle doors.

The idea for the mount was spawned during Operation Iraqi Freedom, when Marines riding through Iraqi towns in humvees at times ran gauntlets of rifle, machine-gun and rocket-propelled-grenade fire. Sometimes the enemy fire came against softback humvees with no mounted weapons.

"This has the potential to change the way (Marines) conduct themselves while under enemy fire in a convoy," said Cpl. David R. Conwan, a machine-gun instructor for 1st Marine Division Schools. "It allows Marines to maneuver during any hasty situations that they might find themselves in a humvee."

"It has potential not only to return rounds but also to deter enemy fire to convoys," added Sgt. Joel D. Ramsey, another machine-gun instructor.

The division has been testing the mount for the past month. Testing didn't go smoothly at first; machine-gun instructors rejected the first two prototypes before the third passed a series of field tests.

"The first model that we tested was awkward to shoot with, so we made suggestions to make it easier for use, and within a week, we had a new one to test," Ramsey said.

The mount includes two components that can be installed and removed within a matter of seconds, Ramsey said. The main element has two 1-foot-long metal arms with a cradle that holds the machine guns and ammunition.

There's a bar so the mount can slide along the vehicle. The third component, the door adapter, is attached to the humvee but unnoticeable.

"The machinist has been cooperative with our suggestions. He takes what we have to say, then he brings it back to us improved and in a timely fashion," Conwan said.

Mass production can begin as soon as the mounts are approved, Frich said. The approval process for new items is complex and could delay installation of the mounts on vehicles in Iraq, Frich said.

Approval could take anywhere from three weeks to three years, he said.

"It's difficult to determine how long it can take," he said. "There are so many considerations for final acquisitions approval."



Cpl. David R. Cowan, a machine gun instructor for 1st Marine Division Schools, fires an M-240G mounted to a humvee. The mount underwent three modifications before the Devision machine gun instructors were satisfied with the results. Cowan was responsible for testing the mount and providing his opinions for modifications to the prototype. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Samuel Palmer

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...5?opendocument

Sempers,

Roger