KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian troops in Afghanistan have a new weapon against deadly roadside bombs. Military officials unveiled the first of their new RSD Husky armoured vehicles Wednesday.
The South African-built Huskies are equipped with sophisticated metal and electronic detectors that scan roads and ditches for improvised explosive devices, roadside bombs and landmines.
Roadside bombs have become the deadliest threat facing international troops in Afghanistan.
Twenty-nine of the 71 Canadian soldiers who have died were killed by roadside bombs, 22 of them in the past year. Another 11 Canadian soldiers have died in suicide bombing attacks.
Capt. David Holsworth, of the 5th Combat Engineers Regiment based in Valcartier, Que., said that Canadian troops used to rely on their American counterparts to clear roads with this type of equipment.
However, U.S. Huskies are largely tied up clearing roads for American convoys.
"A lot of the (soldiers who were killed by IEDs)could have been saved if we had had these earlier,'' Holsworth told reporters at Kandahar Airfield. "It's extremely important.''
The Huskies look like road graders, minus the blade and with armour plate. The vehicle is built to resist the blast from underneath, with the driver seated high away from the bomb beneath.
"The section is really eager to get out there because they'll be saving their buddies,'' Holsworth said.
Military officials say the Huskies won't totally eliminate the risk of roadside bombs, but are a vast improvement over any equipment Canadians currently have.
Canada is buying 16 vehicles at a cost of $29.6 million, including six Huskies. Two of the Huskies will remain in Canada for training purposes, while the rest will be deployed in Afghanistan.
The American-built Buffalo has an arm used to dig out IEDs while the crew remains inside the heavily-armoured vehicle.
The Cougar is equipped to disable and destroy roadside bombs.
The Buffaloes and Cougars will arrive at a later date.
It has not been decided whether the Huskies will immediately begin to accompany Canadian convoys or will be deployed when the other armoured vehicles arrive.
