i am combat soldier that trained on these vehicles that will say they are crap or they are alright. how did they become line (12 bravo) 21 bravo engineer, they should left them to the (12 foxtroits). I operated them from 1985 until 1993 at fort Ord California / 13th Engineers ( light )lot of data is all wrong. i have done them all it is up to the operator on how well he wants to that job. it is called guts and courage behind the wheel of this vehicle
speed is faster breeching obstacles fire protection ( mounted m60 ) air lifting
I loved this vehicle. Altough if you didn't know how to handle it, it could be a very unforgiving vehicle. Meanig it would break down a lot. I took the same ACE thru 2 deployments with out a severe breakdown. I am actually suprised that this vehicle does not have a civilian counterpart. As it can take the place of several other vehicles. If you where a good operater you could really get this thing to "DANCE"
I have operated the M-9 ACE for a number of years. and I have to say it is a good concept. A highly moble Armored Tracked Vehical that can breach a short distance obstical or complex obctical,It will do that vary well and that is all it is capable of doing before you have to conduct some sort of PMCS like track tention. My experience is that if you operate it for 2 hours you need at a mim 30 min down time to check it out. The current flet is tired it needs over hulling. Also we as 12Bs or 21Bs or whatever we are today need help. I am from FT Carson we have deployed with 3 M-9 ACEs 2 of which needed the Nitrigine bags filled and Ft Carson could not do it they told us we could get it done in theater (no we can not) there is no resources in the AOR that can fill them in addition finding a Main Tec that know anything about the ACE it not happening either. even though the gauges are reading 0 and should be at 1500lbs PRESSURE we are told look stop putting them on dead line because there is nothing that can be done with them. Next issue is even though they are called Armmored we can not take them nor do we want to take them outside the wire. these are the only tactical vehical that was designed to move with a task force with only one person in it and no weapon system on it. also if you look at any other tactical vehical it has a crew to help with operator maintence such as changing track shoes and padds or checking track tention. we have vary little or often no maintence support at a combat engineer company level. yes we do get Engineer equiptment machanics but can you tell me how much hands on time with an ACE they get in school NONE they don't even see an ACE until they get to a unit and than the operator if he has been in for a while has to do the work. oh by the way same thing for the SEE truck. it is fairly messed up when the ACE or A&O section works longer than any one else in the company because we have to do the maintence on this gem of equipment yes ( am venting) I have even been stopped in a staging area by an officer and instructed to wake up one of my soldiers inside to get him to ground guide. he thought I was ignoring him even though I was looking right at him so he climbed up the back of the ACE to I can only assume to yell at one of my "sleeping soldiers inside" so I can have a ground guide much to his imbarrisment he found that I had no such personnel. go figure. The ACE again is a good peice of equiptment and if takin care of you can get a lot of work out of it and I have but I also know the difference between a deadline leake on the thing oppose to just an ACE leaking I ask every one and any one when will the Engineer Corp get back to basics on Engineer equipment and get SGTs and above in the operators hatch (only no e-1 to e-4) with some focuss on stick time and mentorship from contracted personel and get some knowledg into the Maint area. please help out the future force one other thing instead of 2x ACEs as a blade team get an ACE and Dozer D-7 AFTER ALL the dozer is issued at NTC and used in most units deployed down range so why not train as we fight with the same equipment.
