How Do Operators Control Extreme Machines?

Transcript

[music playing] NARRATOR: It's time for you to grab the wheel, floor the accelerator, and take total control. We're giving you the keys to the world's wildest rides-- on land, sea, and in the sky. And we'll discover the horsepower, technology, and all out guts required to operate these beasts. So suit up, strap in, and throw it into high gear, no l... Read More

Key Insights

• The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is a 27-ton tracked machine that combines features of an armored personnel carrier and a battle tank. It holds nine people, carries a high-powered machine gun and anti-tank missile launcher, and surrounds its crew with aluminum armor.
• The Bradley driver's position is separated from the engine by a thin wall, creating considerable heat inside the compartment. Older versions lacked a crew cooling system, so occupants depended on whatever breeze entered the vehicle, a serious comfort challenge in desert conditions.
• The Bradley's forward visibility is provided by narrow, thick armored periscopes rather than a windshield. These restrict the direct view to roughly the 11 to 1 o'clock positions, while monitors add feeds from high-definition, night-vision, and thermal-imaging cameras.
• Tracked steering requires the Bradley driver to accelerate while making a turn, unlike an automobile driver who would normally slow down. The tracks also give the 27-ton vehicle an extremely tight turning radius, allowing it to rotate almost within its own footprint.
• The MRAP is a mine-resistant, heavily armored military vehicle powered by a 370-horsepower engine. Despite weighing more than 12 tons, it can reach 72 miles per hour and operate across mountains, desert, sand, snow, mud, and other difficult terrain.
• The MRAP driver's seat is suspended by D-rings and harnesses rather than mounted directly to the floor. This design limits the amount of shock and blast force transferred to the driver's body when an improvised explosive device detonates beneath or near the vehicle.
• The Striker 4500 is an eight-wheeled airport firetruck that can reach 70 miles per hour and carry 4,500 gallons of water. One operator can drive it and control a front turret that releases up to 1,200 gallons of water per minute.
• The converted DC-10 firefighting aircraft carries 12,000 gallons of water or foam retardant in large tanks. Its three-person cockpit crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer, each with specific responsibilities needed to complete the operation successfully.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does a driver control a Bradley fighting vehicle?

A Bradley driver uses a steering yoke, accelerator, and brake pedals inside a confined armored compartment. Instead of looking through a windshield, the driver sees through narrow, thick periscopes and monitors connected to high-definition, night-vision, and thermal-imaging cameras. Because the vehicle runs on tracks, the driver presses the accelerator when turning rather than slowing down as an automobile driver normally would.

Q: Why does the Bradley use periscopes instead of a windshield?

The Bradley uses narrow pieces of very thick glass, described as periscopes, to give its driver a protected forward view. Direct visibility is limited to approximately the 11 to 1 o'clock positions, much narrower than a car's 9 to 3 o'clock view. The restricted view is accepted for battlefield security, while camera monitors provide additional high-definition, night-vision, and thermal-imaging information.

Q: What protects soldiers inside the Bradley fighting vehicle?

The Bradley surrounds its crew with aluminum armor that can withstand several point-blank rounds from a .50-caliber weapon, according to the episode. A crew member also states that it can take impacts up to a direct missile hit. The protected compartment, narrow armored periscopes, camera systems, tracks, machine gun, and anti-tank missile launcher support both crew defense and battlefield operation.

Q: How does the MRAP protect its driver from IED blasts?

The MRAP combines heavy-duty composite armor with a driver's seat that is not attached to the floor. D-rings and harnesses suspend the seat in midair, reducing how much shock or blast force the driver's body absorbs during an improvised explosive device explosion. The episode reports that, during 18 months of use in Afghanistan, MRAPs reduced deaths and injuries by more than 30 percent.

Q: How fast and powerful is the MRAP military vehicle?

The MRAP has a 370-horsepower engine and a maximum speed of 72 miles per hour. That speed is notable within the episode because the heavily armored vehicle weighs more than 12 tons, described as roughly the weight of four full-size SUVs. It is designed to encounter mountains, desert, sand, snow, mud, and other demanding terrain while carrying protected occupants.

Q: How does the Striker 4500 fight an aircraft fire?

The Striker 4500 allows one operator to drive to the fire and fight it without leaving the driver's seat. A joystick controls a front-mounted turret that can release up to 1,200 gallons of water per minute. After attacking the exterior fire, the operator extends a 50-foot boom whose snozzle pierces the fuselage and sprays water or foam inside the aircraft cabin.

Q: Why does the Striker 4500 have eight independently mounted wheels?

The Striker 4500 must travel beyond airport concrete because aircraft can crash on slopes or in thick mud. Its eight wheels operate on independent axles, helping the massive firetruck handle difficult terrain. Both turning axles move at the same time, producing a drifting sensation that can feel uncontrolled to an inexperienced driver, although trained operators describe the vehicle as stable for its size.

Q: How is a DC-10 converted into an airborne firefighter?

The converted DC-10 has its passenger seats, carpeting, and paneling removed, and it carries large tanks holding 12,000 gallons of water or foam retardant. The load can be released over a wildfire within seconds. Operation requires a pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer, while three engines producing 40,000 pounds of thrust each provide the power needed for takeoff.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle combines troop transport, armor, tracks, and heavy weapons. Its driver uses a steering yoke, pedals, narrow armored periscopes, and camera monitors instead of a conventional steering wheel and windshield. Its unusual tracked handling allows the 27-ton vehicle to turn in an exceptionally tight space.

• The MRAP carries soldiers through difficult terrain while protecting them from mines and improvised explosive devices. Composite armor surrounds the occupants, and the driver's seat hangs from D-rings and harnesses instead of attaching to the floor. This arrangement reduces how much blast shock reaches the driver's body during an explosion.

• The Striker 4500 lets one operator approach an aircraft fire, create an escape corridor, and direct water or foam without leaving the cab. The vehicle carries 4,500 gallons of water, can discharge up to 1,200 gallons per minute, and uses a 50-foot boom to pierce an aircraft fuselage.