The “nine finger clan” as the Bomb Squad is affectionately called, mostly because some have lost fingers while trying to disarm bombs, now has a new vehicle that’s built just for them. This vehicle looks and rides like an off road dune buggy and is made so that you can ride in it even in your protective gear to allow you to feel a bit safer about heading up to where a bomb may be located and trying to figure out how to diffuse it. With this oversized go-kart the Bomb Squad can enjoy better mobility than ever before.
Developed by Torq Defense Systems, the vehicle is an all-electric model that is made specifically for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel to ride in so that these folks can ride while geared up. This vehicle is being called the EOD Light Tactical Electric Vehicle (LTEV) and isn’t made to be used in the overseas hostile areas where there seems to be an IED at every turn, but it was built to aid those in law enforcement to ensure the EOD folks would be able to have a way to ride to the location of a bomb.
This vehicle is made to allow the Bomb Squad personnel to drive their gear and in their suit up to the location of a bomb. This gives them the ability to carry all their necessary tools to the site and diagnose the situation. If a larger bomb system is needed, this vehicle is capable of towing the system to the location to allow the Bomb Squad to disarm the bomb and help keep everyone out of harm’s way. The LTEV can be customized for HAZMAT and SWAT teams as well to give them similar vehicles that can carry the gear they need to their site.
Recently, police departments have been looking for ways to dispose of bombs and having a vehicle that can aid in this process is a huge benefit to these law enforcement officials. Other ways police have used bomb equipment to improve the overall effectiveness of their force has been demonstrated recently. Over the summer the Dallas police used a robot that was built for EOD use to kill an active shooter and help disarm a threat. The LTEV is capable of reaching 30 mph and is able to charge using an onboard charging system or through the use of any standard 110-volt outlet.
Rather than waddle to a bomb in a padded suit while carrying all the tools needed, the Bomb Squad now has its own buggy to take it to the site of the bomb and offer a ride back after the successful disarming of the bomb has taken place. The LTEV certainly seems like it would be extremely useful for the HAZMAT and SWAT teams which could find even more ways to make it an effective vehicle for law enforcement. At least now the “nine finger clan” can have a comfortable ride, even if they do lose a digit in the process.
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