Military Picture of the Week

This beast has been developed by the British Army to protect soldiers from Improvised Explosive Devices, the insurgents' weapon of choice in Afghanistan.



A Buffalo mine protection vehicle with a rummaging arm
[Picture: Andrew Linnett, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

Is it just me or does anyone else find it very British and slightly endearing that the vehicle should be equipped with a "rummaging arm"? "Rummaging" sounds like a word that would be used by A.A. Milne to describe Pooh looking in his cupboard for an errant pot of honey. Surely the Americans or even we Canadians would have an acronym to describe this piece of kit (eg, CIEDRE - Counter IED Remote Extender)but to the Brits it's a "rummaging arm". I rather like that.