The Assault Breacher Vehicle

Brought to us by the United States Marine Corps:

In the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing such a complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicle. But the Marine Corps persisted -- funding the development and testing from its own discretionary budget funds.

In December, the 42-foot-long assault breacher was used in combat for the first time, as Marines pushed into a Taliban stronghold called Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province. The brass were pleased with its performance.

Do check out the rest of the story, along with the photograph.

The vehicle looks like a tank minus the cannon but with plenty of front-end gear for dealing with mine threats and moving earth.