Keeping the Vikings on the move (VIDEO)
28 Jan 08
The Vikings are unstoppable in Afghanistan. The All Terrain Protected Vehicles' arrival at a scene of conflict instils relief in British Troops, confidence in the local population and, perhaps most importantly, fear in the Taliban. Report by Danny Chapman.
Corporal Kev Walker, 1 Battalion Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, works with Vikings in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
[Picture: SAC Kimberley Waterson RAF]
In the dusty landscape of Helmand, the Vikings' two squat hunks of metal that trundle along on tank tracks look like something from the apocalypse. But the protection that the vehicles offer is making them one of the British Forces most popular bits of war fighting kit.
Originally deployed with the Royal Marines to Afghanistan in autumn 2006, the Vikings have since been used by both Marine and Army units to patrol the deserts, villages, towns and jungle like areas of Helmand:
"They are extremely good for rocking up and scaring the shit out of the Taliban. They really don't like it," says Corporal Kev Walker.
He is one of the 14-man team of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) who repair and service the vehicles at Camp Bastion, and who also go out on patrol with the battle groups providing mechanical assistance when they are far from base:
Craftsman Luke Martin, 1 Battalion Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, changes the engine of a Viking at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
[Picture: SAC Kimberley Waterson RAF]
"We provide equipment support, offering quick engineering decisions, repairs and advice to the Royal Marines on what they can and can't do on the Vikings. We take our tools with us and try to keep the Vikings 100 per cent available."
See Related Links >>> for interview with Cpl Walker.
Another REME at Bastion looking after the Vikings is Craftsman Luke Martin. He describes his job:
"Keeping on top of faults and on top of mobility, simple maintenance, checking the tracks and keeping 100 per cent availability of the Vikings for troops. The Royal Marines trust our guys to fix the kit."
Before arriving in Helmand Cpl Walker hadn't seen the Viking on operations. Despite some initial teething problems, he is impressed:
"I think they're doing a fantastic job. They're awesome vehicles for what they do. The teething problems were down to the terrain. If you put any vehicle across that terrain, which is mountainous, rocky, dusty and sandy and has everything that will knacker up gears, it will have trouble with it."
"They make a massive difference to the operation."
Corporal Kev Walker, 1 Battalion Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
The Vikings are often called into a situation to take up a position of overwatch. They are used as taxis for getting troops into an area other vehicles would not be able to access, and can also be used as ambulances; getting casualties out of a situation:
"They make a massive difference to the operation," says Cpl Walker. "We were working closely with the Ghurkhas and the Royal Welsh and you could see the relief on their faces when the Viking turns up.
"The Royal Welsh got contacted by an anti aircraft gun. My troop went in with the Vikings to create a screen, allowing them to get out. We put down heavy fire from the Viking's General Purpose Machine Gun (It is also fitted with 350 calibre guns), and before we left, having taken no casualties, it looked like all the Taliban had left. If we didn't have something like the Viking it wouldn't have been such a happy ending. It was pretty heavy terrain too and I'm not sure any other vehicle could have got in there."
Viking, at Bovington in Dorset, demonstrates the tightest of turning circles
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]
Their mobility also allows them to veer off main roads and known routes - which tend to be where most mines are laid. Staff Sergeant Chris Hanks, also a REME in Bastion explains:
"They can cope with the terrain because they have track mobility, which is much better than wheeled vehicles and gets bogged down less."
"We know the Taliban don't like them. They're pretty much unstoppable," adds Cpl Walker.
The main activities the REMEs have to carry out on the Vikings are resetting the suspension and changing the tracks. Their record for changing the tracks is 17 minutes.
"Sometimes we have quiet periods, with a lot of down time," says Cpl Walker of his work in Camp Bastion. "And other times it's pretty frantic. Maybe two vehicles need work on and the lads need to move out in half an hour, so we are doing repairs to get them up and running."
Despite the problems the Vikings give the Taliban, for local Afghani villagers the vehicle is perhaps viewed rather differently, as Cpl Walker explains:
"I do feel like we're making a difference and the Vikings help. After an operation the villagers come back to their homes, while the Vikings are still there, which shows the public have faith in the Vikings and that they're not afraid of them."