MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFPN)— Airmen with the 91st Security Forces Group here are testing a new armored personnel vehicle which may someday replace the ones Minot cops currently use in the missile field.
The Lenco BearCat vehicle has a V-8, diesel turbo engine combined with armored plating, said Tech. Sgt. Kevin McDonald, 91st Security Support Squadron vehicle noncommissioned officer in charge.
“(It is better suited) for what we do in the missile field as far as maneuvering, accountability, reliability and deploying out of it,” he said.
The vehicle sports features not found in current Humvees, Sergeant McDonald said.
“It has dual tires on the back, half-inch armor plating throughout the whole thing to protect the troops,” he said. “It also has a heater in the front and back of the vehicle so the troops don’t freeze out (in the field) and a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art turret (on top of the vehicle).”…
Senior Airman William Stark, a 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron fire team member, said the new vehicle is definitely a step in a positive direction as far as getting better equipment to Airmen who need it. (It is) much roomier,” he said. “In the Humvees, you were confined, and you had to sit almost sideways when you had all your gear with you. With the (new vehicle), there’s room to breathe.”