Battle damaged storage bin : Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle

This storage bin is from a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) damaged by an improvised explosive device (IED) on 7 November 2012 while operating with Australian forces in Afghanistan. One of the greatest dangers facing coalition forces in Afghanistan has been posed by low-cost, home-made IEDs. These devices, usually made from mixtures of fertiliser and fuel, are hidden in roadside drains and culverts, and are detonated either remotely or by pressure plate. Great efforts are made to detect IEDs, including ground-penetrating radar devices, detection dogs, aerial surveillance, and mine detectors. Considerable research has also gone into developing a range of troop transport and patrol vehicles to protect occupants from the effects of explosive blasts.

One such vehicle is the Bushmaster. At the time of the blast this vehicle had logged only 500 kilometres and 47 hours of use in Afghanistan. Although the Bushmaster was completely disabled in the explosion, the occupants – soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment – escaped with relatively minor wounds. The Bushmaster’s armoured v-shaped hull acts to deflect an upward blast away from the vehicle and the external stowage bins and mudguards are designed to shear off in the event of a blast, preventing the blast from being directed into the vehicle’s undersides.