utility truck
Report a Mistake- Object Number 20060101-001
- Event 2001-2014 Afghanistan War
- Affiliation --
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer Daimler-Chrysler AG
- Date Made 2004
- Place of Use Continent - North America, Country - Canada
- Category Distribution and transportation artifacts
- Sub-category Land transportation, motorized
- Department Arms and Technology
- Museum CWM
- Earliest 2004
- Latest 2004
- Brand Name / Model Mercedes Benz G 270 CDI
- Pattern Name GeländewagenG Wagenstandard military pattern (SMP)
- Materials Metal
- Service Component Canadian Forces
- Person / Institution Associated Military Personnel, Crawford, Corporal Ryan
- Measurements Height 242.0 cm, Length 489.0 cm, Width 185.9 cm
- Caption Armoured G Wagon
- Additional Information On December 12, 2005, 90 km east of Kandahar, the explosion of an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) triggered by Afghan insurgents destroyed the front end of a Canadian military vehicle. The force of the blast throws the vehicle's engine seven metres away. Yet, its occupants - three soldiers and a Canadian journalist - survived with relatively minor injuries. The armour plating on the Gelandewagen (G Wagon), a light utility vehicle manufactured by Mercedes-Benz Canada, saved their life. Had they been travelling in the “soft-skinned” vehicle previously used by the military, the Bombardier Iltis, they likely would not have survived. The G Wagon was introduced into Afghanistan in 2004 to better protect personnel from an array of threats including the explosive effects of IEDs. It is the latest example of the continuous evolution of military vehicles to accommodate changing field conditions and new technologies.