The Marines have a new weapon to use against mines and IEDs.  They have a rope that gets launched far ahead of the column and once it’s in place it gets detonated and it causes any mines or IEDs in the area to explode.

 The USMC has a well-earned reputation for delivering destruction to America’s enemies… and one of the most unique vehicles used to accomplish that task is the M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle, lovingly called the “Tankdozer.”

An amazing video shows exactly what happens when the ABV is put into action. The footage demonstrates the deployment of an innocent-looking “rope” onto the battlefield… but with a single button press, all hell breaks loose.

That rope is actually a mine-clearing line charge, also known as an MICLIC or “mick lick” for short. Like a rope being fired from a harpoon gun, the MCLC can be projected across a minefield and then detonated.

The line of destruction caused by an exploding mine-clearing charge clears a path for troops and vehicles. That capability has proved to be extremely useful in chaotic locations such as Afghanistan.

“On the morning of 03 December 2009, the ABV fired its first line charge during Operation Cobra’s Anger in Now Zad, Afghanistan,” Global Security reported.

“Due to mass amounts of roadside bombs expected around Now Zad, ABV’s led the way for the operation by detonating numerous line charges on the path to the Taliban stronghold, Now Zad,” continued the military information site.

Mine-clearing charges are just one of many tricks that the “Tankdozer” has up its sleeve. As the name implies, the ABV can be thought of as a combination of a tank’s protection and a bulldozer’s ground-clearing capabilities.

The bulk of the ABV is the same as an M1A1 Abrams tank. While the Abrams is designed to take out hardened targets, however, the Tankdozer’s job is to clear paths and protect our soldiers.

H/T The Conservative Tribune