All matters MRAP JLTV (merged thread)

[KenDawe]

This sounds like a good TTP:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/...q_pope_glass_4

RAMADI, Iraq - The 21-year-old gunner was standing atop the turret of a Humvee called Frankenstein's Monster when the bomb exploded on the ground beside him, sending a wave of sizzling shrapnel and ball-bearings toward his head.
Knocked down inside his vehicle by the blast, Spc. Richard Sugai regained consciousness minutes later and realized he was lucky to be alive. His savior: a glass cocoon of 2-inch thick bulletproof windshields he had welded around the top of his turret three days earlier.
Troops mockingly call the modification "Pope Glass" because it brings to mind the ballistic-proof glass box the late Pope John Paul II traveled in after being wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt....

Not a truely innovative tactic, I suppose, but if it keeps troops alive, and uninjured, it's worthwhile. A buddy who is "over there" now tells me that a lot of troops are paying KellogBrownRoot guys to make these mods. Also that his Platoon Sergeant refuses to allow this on any of "his" M1114s because they are unofficial mods.

[Nat Glozer]

But there is always a downside to every measure of force protection. On a convoy, gunners are the main eyes. They are the ones most likely to spot signs of an IED or possible ambush. That "pope glass" is going to get scratched up, reducing the gunners ability to see detail. Not saying I'd be against it, but you have to consider the downside as well.

[CPT Holzbach]

They are the ones most likely to spot signs of an IED or possible ambush.

I'd have to disagree with this. Generally, the gunner should be down behind the turret armor to avoid being the victim of an IED. The driver and TC are responsible for spotting IEDs, the driver scanning the TC side, the TC scanning the driver side. The gunner only pops up as you go through major intersections to stop traffic. His primary duties are providing security while stationary, and engageing VBIEDs as necessary.

That "pope glass" is going to get scratched up, reducing the gunners ability to see detail.

We had some HMMWVs use that glass on their turrets, usually layered on top of the metal to provide double protection. It works well. I also had it around the BC's position on my two Bradleys. It does get a bit scratched and dusty, but the loss of visibility wasnt too bad. And it did allow you to expose yourself and see more without having to worry as much about having your head taken off by an IED, or sniper.

[Nat Glozer]

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree. When we were rolling, my policy was that all eyes were responsible for scanning for IEDs. The best way to avoid being a victim of one was to was to spot them before they detonated. So, though every one was looking, as dusty as Iraq is, and as old as those HMMWVs were, if you were inside looking out, visibility was poor. Gunner's in a dangerous position, no doubt, but kept everybody safer overall.

[Beowulf]

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree. When we were rolling, my policy was that all eyes were responsible for scanning for IEDs. The best way to avoid being a victim of one was to was to spot them before they detonated. So, though every one was looking, as dusty as Iraq is, and as old as those HMMWVs were, if you were inside looking out, visibility was poor. Gunner's in a dangerous position, no doubt, but kept everybody safer overall.

Common TTP now is "name tape defillade" for gunners. I don't necessarily agree with it but that is the guidance from higher. It is intended to minimize casualties from ied's and rollovers.

The Pope glass should enable a gunner to sit a little higher and be a bit safer, I supose scratching/visibility would be an issue, but not substantially more than the hmmwv windshield.