One of Ours?
 

I was looking at the photo of a APC re-captured by government troops in Konduga. It sure looks like one of our old Grizzlys, or is it merely a Mowag from another source?

Here is a link to the story: http://www.osundefender.org/?p=187125

I found a similar article but with what appears to be a Husky towing a artillery piece. http://beegeagle.wordpress.com/2014/...le-at-konduga/

Rob,

I had thought that all of the Canadian vehicles had lost their swim gear.

If you follow this link there is a better side view that leads me to think it is a Mowag and not ex Canadian vehicle, what say you?

http://beegeagle.wordpress.com/2011/...-plant-bauchi/

R

This one looks distinctly ex Canadian.

There is an amazing number of different vehicle types in use by Nigeria.

I have seen Ex Russian vehicles (cant name many of them) and Otokar and Panhard and Saxon and on it goes.

Maybe an expedition in 5 years and we can recover some tasty kit

R

One does have to be very careful on what you find on the Internet as there are a lot of mistakes.

This image was allegedly and Alvis Spartan but it isnt. It is actually a Samson.

R

Not all vehicles had been through refurb I suspect. With defense dollars always tight on projects like refurb of older equipment, it may have been that the project only refurbed what was needed. I have seen the odd AVGP floating around that had nothing improved on them.

The one I showed does not have the trim vane cylinder anymore, and the photo is too blurry to see if the vane is there or not. It also have different mirrors and headlamps, but this may happen when some of these countries decide to modify and use a more local source of parts rather than ordering expensive OEM components.

I note it has the first style of tire. Ours went through a series of upgrades over the years. I was talking to some of my guys after I got out, and they mentioned they had a fleet of them for about a month, just got them into useable shape, when the word came out that they were leaving as foreign aid. I also note it has the studs for the North American sized license plate on the front. Not sure if these were standard on European production hulls.

The photo you link to in post #3 Robin shows that they modified the headlights over to the M-series headlamp pots like on a M35 deuce and a half. As well, they have added the standard M-series blackout markers on top of the headlamps. These assemblies would be a lot cheaper to install and maintain over the Hella lamps that came stock on them. At the same time, they are by no means pretty, and actually looks a little hillbilly-ish.

Whatever happened to the 100 or so Grizzly AVGPs that were loaned (given?) to...where...Namibia?

Perhaps the Canadian government doesn't want them back due to the possibility of residual ebola contamination.

From Wikopedia comes this history of the "loaned" vehicles. Apparently part of the reason for the term "loan" was to get around the US ITAR restrictions.

speaking of "LOAN" did the US get any paperwork for the vehicles now operated by those OTHER people , ITAR at work, I was sure that's why there was ITAR,

Itar
 

The only parts of the AVGP fleet that fall under ITAR control are the US sourced Grizzly turrets. The remainder of the fleet have no US controlled items. Canada could have sent a request to the US State Department to have the items transferred to the UN, if approved then its no longer Canada's problem as the UN would be responsible. The US could also release all interest in those items and thereby allow Canada to do what it wished with them.

Its just easier to scrap them like the M113, Hercules and other not very valuable US sourced product. Too much hassle for little return.

Not just hassle, but very few customers are lined up for the older stuff. In the meantime, it costs something to store it and keep it in preservation, all the while the equipment just keeps getting older and in a poorer state.

We had our M113s, C1 howitzers and AVGPs up for sale for quite some time through a re-marketer. Not many takers in the end.

Customers can be quite picky, even when it comes to freebies. Wikopedia reports that the recipients of the AVGPs were not happy with their maintainability. Even in Afghanistan, the Afghan military returned our 2500 (IIRC) "foreign aid" C7 rifles.

Add to that the Afghan's refusal to take our leftover Iltis' without huge support concessions on our part. The west would have been better serving the ANA by outfitting them in newer AKM's and Hilux Pickups, rather than M16s and Ford Rangers.

You really hit the salient point here Rob. Especially when it comes the Armoured Vehicles. I think the reason ex-Soviet eqpt is so popular in these developing countries is due to its ability to be maintained on a shoe string by people with little to no training.

Part of it may be our fault too. We say we are going to contribute X milliion dollars, then try and give them our older crap at full book value to account for the donation.

Would anyone here pay $26,000 (original book value) for a slightly worn out Iltis?

On that note Rob, why would anyone pay $500 for one either??? :p

I think the remarketing people have perhaps dropped the ball when you consider how much the Latvians are paying for CVR(T)s that have just come out of service.

I suggest sending someone to Withams for a lesson in MV sales tactics, they seem to do well enough out of the game.

Sad to see it takes a member of this forum to know what is and isnt ITAR regulated and not the Guberment du Kanadeer, sad.

R