Published Date: 05 July 2008 AT THE BEGINNING OF 2007, EFPs – explosively formed projectiles – were a new and frightening addition to the insurgents' arsenal. They are simple devices, composed of a case, a dish-shaped metal liner or cap and an explosive filler. When the charge is detonated, the force of the explosion sends the copper cap hurtling out at such high speed that it bends into a rough cone that, due to its high velocity, can penetrate armoured vehicles. In Iraq, they're usually used on stretches of open highway. Typically, the trigger is an infrared beam, broken by the lead vehicle. As a result, the front of a convoy is an unpopular place to be. In early 2007, Robert Cumming, a former paratrooper from Comrie, was working for the British private security company Erinys on a contract to protect US military...
[read full story]
Your Web Site
