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| Iraq | |
| Kohler Co. helps save lives in Iraq | |
| 2007-12-30 | |
Modified debris sweepers with Kohler engines are helping save the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq. The machines, mounted at the front of military trucks and mine sweepers, blow away roadside debris to expose bombs planted by insurgents. Often they trigger the bombs and take the brunt of the explosion. "But I would love to see plenty of engines taking the hits rather than soldiers getting killed," said Rich Koehl, director of marketing and quality at Kohler Co.'s engine division. Insurgent attacks on vehicles have accounted for more than half of U.S. combat fatalities in Iraq, according to the military. As the improvised explosive devices have become more deadly, the Army and Marines have stepped up efforts to get safer vehicles. They're also using products such as Cyclone debris blowers made by Buffalo Turbine Co., of Springville, N.Y., with Wisconsin-made Kohler engines. The Cyclone blows a broad, 180-mph jet of air to expose roadside explosives. The military has more than 100 of the machines in use in Iraq, with more on the way, said Paul Syracuse, general manager at Buffalo Turbine. In the civilian world, the giant blowers are used to clean debris from streets, golf courses and race tracks. They've also been used at the last eight Super Bowls and in city parks. "They're a rock-solid leaf blower," said Tom Tiernan, a Kohler distributor in Pennsylvania. In Iraq, the blowers have been modified with armor plating and diesel engines. Mounted on the front of a vehicle, usually about 10 feet from the operator's cab, they blow away garbage and other debris used to hide roadside bombs. "Garbage is the main hiding place," Syracuse said. "The blowers either trigger the bombs or expose them." No soldiers have been killed while using the debris blowers, according to Buffalo Turbine. In about two years of use, the machines have exposed or detonated dozens of roadside bombs. The idea came from former U.S. troops working for an equipment contractor. Now, the machines are an important part of military convoys in Iraq. "They cruise alongside the road, sometimes leading a convoy," Syracuse said. The U.S. military uses thousands of Kohler portable generators in Iraq in addition to the engines used on debris blowers. "I would call it the NASA effect. If the military finds a use for one of our civilian products, we will help them develop a special application for it," Koehl said. Normally, it can take years for the military to develop and acquire field equipment. But in 2002, the Army launched an effort to speed things up through a program aimed at identifying unmet needs of combat soldiers and satisfying those needs in 90 to 180 days. The Army now buys small quantities of equipment and tests it in the field. One of the success stories was a remote-controlled robot that looks something like a radio-controlled toy car and is used for detecting roadside bombs. It has a video camera mounted on a retractable arm and headlights to see in the dark. Another was the use of laser pointers like those used in classrooms as a nonlethal way of dissuading drivers from ignoring security checkpoints in Iraq. In the past, the bright lights shone at drivers did little to stop erratic behavior. But the green laser pointers, about 50 times brighter than pointers used in classrooms, have proven to be startling and nearly blinding to drivers coming straight at them. Unlike red laser pointers, the green ones can be seen in midair in the dark. And the unusual color makes them more noticeable. Initially, at least, aggressive driving was reduced 60% to 80% when the laser pointers were used at checkpoints, according to the Army. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 Kohler gas engines are superb. I've owned riding mowers and garden tractors from "Sears" (So, SO declasse...) powered by Kohler engines that were always robust and trouble-free. My father, an 84 year-old WW-II CBI vet, recently told me that it was the Kohler-driven electrical generators and water pumps that helped lead to the "Japs" getting "reality-checked" from the Allies in that dangerous, isolated, mountainous region rarely covered by the newspapers. May God continue to bless this great Nation and us all in the upcoming New Year. Amen. |
| Posted by: Leonard Plynth Garnell 2007-12-30 22:24 |
| #4 RJ - as an engineer, I totally agree. It makes SO much sense. Who coulda forseen the prevalence of garbage piles obsuring IEDs? This makes a lotta sense, and more kudos to the smart people, bottom-up, who saw it and made it policy/purchasing priority. Easier said than done, and a good harbinger for future adaptations |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-12-30 15:54 |
| #3 As A Mechanic, this hits the "Good News" button in so many ways, ingenious, practical, effective, simple, (etc) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-12-30 13:44 |
| #2 Brilliant Yankee ingenuity! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-12-30 09:08 |
| #1 Now we need that other Kohler product, a giant crapper to flush the entire jihadi cohort down in one giant swirling plunge... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-12-30 08:45 |