[Newsbot]

Title: Canada's military may need year-long break after Afghan mission: army chief
Category: Military
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2009-03-09 15:56:32
Canadian

[Canadian_Mind]

$1:

Leslie said 33 per cent of the army's light-armoured vehicles (LAVs) are out of service, along with 76 per cent of its Coyotes, 100 per cent of its tracked light-armoured vehicles (TLAVs), 73 per cent of its Bisons and 71 per cent of its Leopard tanks.

Math:

651 LAV 3s - 33 % = Less than 434 LAVs operational.

204 LAV 25s (Coyotes) - 76% = Less than 49 operational,.

100% of the TLAVS (M113s) means 100%. Not one is fully functional.

199 LAV 2s (Bisons) - 73% = less than 54

65 Leopard 1s plus the "reported" 20 Leopard 2s - 71% = Less than 25 Leopard Tanks operational.


Why I say "less than" is that the initial numbers are either based on pre afghan-war numbers. vehicles have been destroyed overseas and would therefre be subtracted from the initial number before the calculation.

I d believe some fo the percentages are wrong, particularly regarding our M113s, as we have M113s fully operational overseas... Meaning that the 100% inoperable figure is plain wrong.

As for the Leopards, the reported numbers are all a bit skewed do to the fudged state of the 20 loaner tanks that may or may not still be overseas, the 20 surplus ones we bought that are overseas, the 20+ Leopard 1s overseas, the 80 leo 2s that aren't actually a part of our arsenal yet, etc.



My Solution: Go to General Dynamics, and stimulate the economy with new LAV 3 purchases, and either scrap the LAV 25s, or refurbish the CP variants into mast and remote mounted sensor platforms like the rest of the fleet, and use new LAV 3s as the Command variants. In doing this, put the Caterpillar engines the LAV 3s use into the refurbished LAV 25s, and if possible build all new LAV 25 hulls. LAV 25 is an excellent "Medium" Recce Platform, being safer, lighter, more stable, and more off-road worthy than the LAV 3.

As for the Leopards, if we can't find a corp to put on the neccisary, and already designed impovements onto the new Leo 2s, start a crown corp and lease re-tooled automotive plants to do the job.

Even if we had all the maintainers and vehickle techs in the world to keep our current fleets up to snuff, we need replacements for the vehicles written off overseas.

[bootlegga]

$1:

There are 40 Leopard 2 battle tanks sitting unused in a Montreal warehouse, and another 40 stored somewhere in Europe, awaiting the federal government to hire a firm to refurbish them, Leslie said.

WTF?

To me, that is a pretty damning statistic. What's the point of buying tanks to sit in warehouses in Montreal/Germany?

I also agree with buying LAV IIIs right away too (as well as buying Canadian-made SAR planes and JSS). Maybe GDLS Canada can take over a Chrysler or GM factory...