The ‘Surface-Launched Unit, Fuel Air Explosive’ or ‘SLUFAE’ mounted on the M548. This evaluation was done in conjunction with the US Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Center (MRDC) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The design was completed by 1975, and prototype firings ready that year for testing the SLUFAE for its intended primary role, defeating enemy minefields. By the mid-1970s, research had progressed sufficiently to weaponize FAE technology into two primary weapons systems: one ground-launched which was developed in conjunction with the US Army Missile Command (MICOM), the ‘Surface Launched Unit’ (SLU-FAE) and one delivered by air, the CBU-55/72. The side with the fastest and most efficient means of clearing a path through an enemy’s minefield would obviously have a significant advantage in a war.Įarly research work with turning Fuel Air Explosive (FAE) technology into weapons was undertaken by the US Navy in the early 1960s at their China Lake Naval Weapons Center in California.
#M548 ammo carrier full#
With the Cold War stand-off between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in full flow, both sides planned to make extensive use of minefields to disrupt enemy movements and attacks.
Hidden, silent killers, these weapons can lie dormant for years and cripple men and machines alike. Minefields are, quite rightly, well feared by troops and commanders alike.
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