This article was originally published in the May 2010 issue of "Weapons" magazine, and was reprinted with a second content improvement, editing, and supplementing some illustrations to share with colleagues. Personally, I think that "Weapons" is a professional and objective military magazine, and it is recommended to subscribe continuously to enrich one's military and political knowledge. Although the articles that are digitally saved and reprinted at the same time as the magazines at home have been published for many years, they are enough to provide ordinary netizens with professional military basic knowledge, and second, they want readers to examine things and opinions from another unique perspective.
Baghdad in the maelstrom of war, 2004. A lame tiger-striped stray cat walks through an empty street. There was no "tick" flashing timer, no red line and blue line inserted in the bomb, and a group of soldiers of the US Army's Big Red 1st Division hid in the courtyard of a civilian house and waited for the arrival of the engineer EOD detachment - this is what the 2010 Oscar for Best Picture "Bomb Disposal Unit" showed us as war in the eyes of soldiers.
From the perspective of film art, this is actually a literary film. However, the film is exquisite and delicate in the details of weapons and equipment props, which makes the story more intriguing.
The inside story of the production of "Bomb Disposal Unit".
"Bomb Disposal Unit" tells the story of three soldiers of an explosive ordnance and ammunition disposal team (EOD) of the U.S. military in Iraq around 2004. It was a period when the anti-American armed forces were active in all kinds of roadside bombs, and the soldiers had to deal not only with duds and explosives commonly known as "roadside mines", but also had to deal with the psychological pressure caused by the constant casualties of their comrades.
The film depicts a large number of thrilling bomb disposal details in an unvarnished, natural tone, which is eye-opening. This is mainly due to the ubiquitous professional guidance. The film hired retired EOD expert James · Clifford as a military adviser and arranged for the main actors to train in the EOD group. As a result, the audience can notice that the actors walk away from suspicious debris and grass on the ground.
The film is set on the Jordan-Iraq border (Hollywood used to shoot Middle Eastern themes in Morocco), and some scenes are only 10 kilometers from the Iraq border. The film also hired extras from Iraq who had fled to Jordan. The Beckham boy in the film and the Iraq "human bomb" at the end are all refugees invited by the crew. Due to the sensitivity of political and military themes, Arabs often throw stones at the crew during the filming, and even shootings, all of which make the plot more immersive for the audience.
However, officers of the US military's public affairs department believe that "Bomb Disposal Unit" is a Hollywood-style entertainment film. Due to the emphasis on drama and the inaccurate portrayal of military personnel, the United States Army did not support the film from the beginning. In the eyes of the United States Army, "Bomb Disposal Unit", like "Life and Death Pride", which reflected the scandal of the Gulf War, is not a military education film with the main theme. But ordinary soldiers still prefer this film that looks at the war from their perspective. The characters' uniforms, logos and props are in line with the realities of the battlefield in Iraq.
Get to know the IED
Unlike previous Hollywood bombs, these dangerous and bulky bombs in "Bomb Disposal Unit" do not have an elaborate timer to remind people when to explode, nor do they give bomb disposal crews enough time to defuse. Compared to them, the landmines and bombs we have seen in movies and news before seem too romantic and even full of comedy. A total of 7 groups of different types of bombs appear in the film. They have a common name - IED, or "improvised explosive device".
The term IED was not original to the U.S. military, but was invented by the British military when fighting terrorist groups such as the Ireland Republican Army. The European resistance forces during World War II and the Viet Nam guerrillas during the Vietnam War often used grenades, mines and other standard weapons to kill and injure the enemy. The Ireland Republican Army, which had no source of standard weapons, and later the Palestinian armed groups, hired technicians to develop various elaborate electronic detonators, using civilian materials such as fertilizers to manufacture weapons in large quantities. This type of improvised bomb was designated as an IED.
U.S. bomb gunners dig up a deeply buried IED made from mortar shells
In the Iraq War, IED was used to the peak by anti-American forces, not only with prefabricated fragmentation IEDs for anti-personnel, but also with anti-armor IEDs with hollow charges and metal jets, chain-triggered IEDs, and even chemical IEDs with chlorine devices. Forty percent of U.S. military casualties in Iraq were caused by IED. IED is also an important weapon for anti-American forces in the war in Afghanistan.
The first IED in the opening credits is Iraq's most common "roadside bomb", a large-caliber grenade. Most of them are 152 mm or 155 mm caliber. During the Iraq War, a large amount of ammunition abandoned by the Iraqi army was left in the civilian population, and many unexploded US artillery shells were scattered in the wilderness. These munitions were collected at high prices by anti-American forces, making them the most dangerous type of IEDs.
Still: Bomb Disposal James, who pulls up 6 IEDs (all 155mm grenades) strung together at once, with explosive power enough to destroy an entire neighborhood
The weight of the standard large-caliber grenade projectile is 40~50 kg, the charge is about 7 kg, the explosion power, fragmentation effect and reliability are far beyond the cottage ammunition in the workshop, multiple simultaneous detonation can even destroy the main battle tank, if it explodes in the downtown area, it will cause hundreds of casualties.
The effect of the first IED exploding in the opening credits is very realistic. Beneath the volcanic shock wave and flying debris, all living targets within a radius of 25 meters were wiped out, not even the heavily armored bomb disposal crews. Its shocking effect is by no means comparable to the fact that domestic films all use gasoline bombs to build momentum. In the second act, when six 155-mm shells are fired, the author is terrified. It was only because the Iraqis who served as artificial detonators escaped that there was no tragic scene.
Iraq's IED is not a mysterious high-tech weapon, because it is mostly made of broken civilian mechanical and electrical devices "bought from hardware stores", the workmanship is poor and the reliability is poor, and it is often accidentally blown up in underground workshops or in the process of burial, killing the militants themselves.
Stills: The anti-American armed manufacturing workshop in Iraq discovered by U.S. bomb disposal crews. There are all kinds of tools on the table, and there is even a chemistry book.
Large-caliber artillery shells are quite cumbersome, and anti-American forces often use vehicles as IED vehicles. Fragments of the carcass that fly when the shells explode will further increase the lethality. This is the "car bomb" type of IED that appears in the United Nations agency in the film. The male protagonist James insisted on using robots when defusing bombs, and did not use those small and wonderful bomb disposal equipment, but used the most stupid methods to dismantle them violently.
Still: Bomb defuser James opens the trunk of his car and finds that he can't find the controller of the explosive device, which is a typical serial explosive device.
At the same time as James defused the bomb, a man on the balcony opposite him was filming him with a video camera - anti-American forces often use the Internet to record and disseminate video information about their "success stories" on such occasions, making IED a strategic weapon to a certain extent.
The anti-American forces also have more dangerous "suicide bombs" and mines, which are the two most dangerous and bloody explosives and two attacks in the film. These tactics are so difficult to guard against, even if bomb disposal experts are calm, they can hardly hide their inner fear. The film's sinister portrayal of IED is a metaphor for the idea that talent is the most dangerous weapon.
The true face of EOD tactics
Anti-explosive tactics were also born and developed in the Northern Ireland conflict. With the intensification of IED, it is now a field of expertise that integrates technology, equipment, intelligence and personnel. The bomb disposal team of Company B in the film is composed of three people, Sergeant James, Sergeant Sanborne and Private Elchi, which is a typical example. James is a veteran engineer who defuses 873 bombs, Sanborn is an intelligence veteran, and Owen is responsible for providing communications support during the bomb defusal process, as well as observing and covering, and installing charges for detonation.
Stills: U.S. bomb disposal teams are often composed of multiple people, each with its own responsibilities when carrying out tasks.
Although "Bomb Disposal Unit" revealed many details of the bomb disposal on the screen for the first time, some veterans of the US military's EOD detachment are still dissatisfied with some of the details, probably because of the occupational diseases of these professionals.
They said it was extremely dangerous for James to set off six bombs at once regardless of the possibility of a trap; The reckless practice of using a crowbar against a crowbar against a container containing an IED, kicking it with its feet, and poking it everywhere would have killed the soldier if it had been replaced; When the opening bomb disposal crew enters the bomb site, EOD members are still chatting with each other on the radio, which is strictly forbidden. Other veterans pointed out that when the EOD team's bomb disposal hands wear protective clothing, the close-fitting clothing is usually a one-piece overalls that help with perspiration, rather than ordinary training uniforms. This film is so picky, which shows that it can still enter the eyes of professionals. After all, it's one of the few films that seriously depicts EOD work.
Generally speaking, the actual bomb disposal process and technology are often not publicized to the public, so that such sensitive techniques and knowledge do not become known to criminals, which may be the reason why some of the technical details are downplayed in this film. The basic principle of EOD is to make decisions based on the danger of the IED and the proximity to the threatened target. The strategies for dealing with IEDs in densely populated areas and in remote areas are certainly completely different.
Robots that charge ahead
In actual combat, EOD generally uses remote-controlled robots. Truly formally trained EOD personnel don't just pick up a pair of scissors to pick up the blue line. They will stay as far away from suspicious objects as possible, and hand over the work to the special equipment of remote-controlled robots, commonly known as "trolleys". This tool was also first born in the Northern Ireland conflict.
At present, the latest bomb disposal robot can use on-board sensors and reconnaissance equipment to tell technicians the composition and quantity of suspicious items, and can also use remote control robotic arms to carry out some simple handling and disassembly operations. For small explosives, EOD can destroy them with a water cannon propelled by 12-gauge shotgunpowder, but it is not used in this film. Portable X-ray equipment is also rarely seen in the film.
The technical equipment in "Bomb Disposal Unit" is basically provided by the original factory, which is also rare in similar films. The manufacturer of the HD-1 bomb disposal robot in the film, Haruka Technology, is a subsidiary of Grumman, a long-established manufacturer of various types of EOD robots weighing from 100 kg to 4 tons. The heaviest of the robots, developed for the Israel military, has a strong arm that can tear off the side doors of vehicles.
A bomb disposal robot equipped by the U.S. military's "bomb disposal unit".
In early 1993, during the David case at Waco Manor in the United States, the FBI used two robots, one of which was the AndrosVA robot of Teletechnology Corporation. South Africa police purchased four EOD robots from Haruna Technology before the presidential election. They carried out more than 100 missions during the electoral process. At present, more than half of the EOD robots in United States law enforcement are from remote technology companies. They have participated in the security work of major events such as the Atlanta Olympics and the Super Bowl. Its ugly and unique image is so popular that Disney's cartoon Wall-E borrows elements from it — the eyes of the cleaner robot Wall-E are remodeled from the cameras of the Haruna Technology Company's bomb disposal robots.
The United States Air Force's remote-controlled bomb disposal robot uses a wheel-track hybrid walking mechanism that can climb steps, and a large-caliber water cannon is also installed on the robotic arm.
Stills: Bomb disposal robots also have times when they "capsize". The robot-trailer was unable to defuse the bomb remotely because the wheels were loose.
After the Gulf War, the United States Navy used the robots to clear mines and unexploded ordnance at air bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Air Force also sent five Andros robots to Kosovo for the clearance of explosives and sub-shells. Each of the Air Force's active EODs and air rescue centers is equipped with an Andros Vl.
The HD-1 used in this film is Haruka Technology's lightest robot. It is driven in two modes on wheels and weighs no more than 92 kilograms. Three soldiers were just right to lift him up and down from the Humvee. Judging from the details in the film, this robot has a color driving camera, a rear-facing camera, and a robotic arm camera. The control box is prominently marked with the Grumman logo. The operation switches of each part of the robot on the control panel are arranged in the corresponding diagram positions one by one, so as to facilitate the intuitive control of the operator. Inexperienced novices (such as actors) only need two and a half days to master the manipulation skills. In contrast, similar domestic products are relatively clumsy, and the gap is obvious.
Still: A bomb disposal man assembles an EOD robot to tow a trailer containing plastic explosives to EOD.
After all, the HD-1 is a big product, small in size but extraordinary in design. It can work independently with its own battery for 4 hours, with a speed of 7 km / h, a trench width of 0.65 meters, and an obstacle height of 0.2 meters. Due to its small size, the HD-1 can easily drill into hard-to-reach places such as under cars. The reliability of this type of car is quite high, it is waterproof and dustproof, and it can work in harsh environments that people cannot tolerate.
The purpose of the HD-1 depends on the interface of the robotic arm. The HD-1 is equipped with a simple robotic arm, which actually has a maximum lifting capacity of 15 kilograms and can be equipped with equipment such as shotguns, pepper sprayers, 37mm riot guns, tactical lights, chainsaws, and window breakers. HD-1 has two control methods: radio and optical fiber (optical fiber can resist electromagnetic interference), as well as daytime sights, low-light night vision sights, binaural audio detectors, chemical detectors, satellite positioning systems, and forward-looking infrared sensors for target tracking. As you can see in the film, it can also carry explosives on a trailer – but the trailer is clearly not as reliable as the robot.
An HD-1 costs only $100,000, and if the robot fails to perform its mission and is not withdrawn, it means saving the life of another bomb disposal worker. But at the beginning of "Bomb Disposal Unit", James's ex put on a Hurtlocker to defuse the bomb after the small trailer pulled by the robot broke down, but was remotely detonated by anti-American forces and died. This is also the most controversial point in the film.
什么是Hurt locker
When the robot is unable to complete the task, personnel will be allowed to enter the site wearing protective clothing. Protective clothing is the most basic equipment of the bomb disposal unit, and its English commonly known as Hurt locker is also the source of the film's name. The protective clothing in "Bomb Disposal Unit" is from an United States company called Allen Avant-Garde. The product line name is Med-Eng. The most recognizable feature of the collection is the abbreviated ME logo on the chest armor. It is currently widely used in the explosives detachments of military and police in various countries, and even the internal affairs forces of Russia are also used.
An EOD suit is actually a type of heavy-duty body armor. Ordinary infantry bulletproof vests are mainly aimed at bullets and only protect a single point of impact. The EOD suit must not only defend against shrapnel, but also comprehensively defend against the three major killing mechanisms of the explosion - overpressure, ablation and mechanical impact. Therefore, the material of the EOD suit should be both bulletproof and fireproof, and the structure needs to have a lot of cushioning and energy absorption considerations, especially in the groin and other joints, and the total weight of the whole suit is far beyond that of ordinary bulletproof vests.
United States Air Force EOD personnel wear EOD-8 EOD suits for EOD training
Some of the latest EOD protective suits are designed with a "three-proof" seal, which makes it difficult for ordinary people to breathe and be hot and unbearable after wearing them, and it is likely that they will go into shock, not to mention moving freely. Med-Eng's protective clothing is more ergonomic, with a wide field of view, built-in hearing enhancement design and communication interfaces, and a battery-operated fan to bring fresh air into the interior for ventilation. The helmet is designed with a stabilizer. In the film, it can be seen that the EOD personnel do not shake back and forth when they run in it.
At the beginning of "Bomb Disposal Unit", the fallen bomb disposal man wears an old Med-Eng EOD-8 designed around 1997. James wears the latest EOD-9 suit and wears a Type 9A helmet, with a pair of lights on the outside of the helmet providing flood and spot lighting, respectively. The EOD9 protective suit is a device with the ability of "three defenses", and the helmet part can be attached to the spontaneous breathing system. In this way, even if the opponent uses a dirty bomb or chlorine bomb, it will not be able to harm the bomb disposal personnel.
EOD-8 EOD protective suit
EOD-9 EOD protective suit
Beyond bomb disposal
Famous actor Ralph · Fiennes plays a character in the film as a "bounty hunter". 2004 was the period when the US military's "playing card" wanted warrant became popular. Fiennes's men captured two high-ranking Iraqi personnel, but they were sniped by anti-American forces in the desert. Like the locals, Fiennes' men wore bearded and Arabic turbans, and were armed with lightweight, reliable, easy-to-find AKMS assault rifles and durable Glock 19 pistols, but the rifles were fully equipped with tactical scopes and RIS tactical grips.
Stills: During the operation, the "bounty hunters" usually dress up as locals and have beards on their faces, trying not to attract the attention of others.
This is the typical behavior of Iraq mercenaries or security contractors: ruthless, money-oriented, and military qualities. After encountering the ambush, the group ran out of ammunition for the "Humvee" vehicle-mounted M2 12.7 mm Browning machine gun in a few moments, and scrapped the long-range suppressive firepower with a range of 2 kilometers.
Anti-American armed snipers used a Romania PSL rifle and assisted by an observer carrying a telescope to eliminate 3 mercenaries in a row. The PSL sniper rifle is similar in appearance to the famous Russian-made 7.62mm SVD sniper rifle, and also uses the PSO-1 type 4x sight. However, the internal structure of the PSL rifle is an enlarged version of the AK-47, which belongs to the principle of long-stroke piston gas conduction automatic. It is very different from the SVD's piston short-stroke automata. Outwardly, its muzzle brake and other details are different from the SVD.
Romania made 7.62 mm PSL sniper rifle
The accuracy of this gun is basically the same level as that of the SVD, and it is a fire support weapon within 600 meters. Some shooting enthusiasts believe that it is difficult to hit a human-sized target at a distance of 800 meters with a rifle such as PSL or SVD. Unless the shooter is experienced in combat and knows the performance of the gun well. However, the mercenary played by Fiennes in the film has poor tactical quality, and he only fired a shot with his own M107 anti-materiel rifle and was killed by PSL.
Still: Anti-American armed snipers once used a PSL rifle to take out an entire team of "bounty hunters". The level is also counted.
Sergeant Sanborn, who had worked in the intelligence force, probably had sniper training, and often had to use large-caliber anti-materiel rifles to destroy IEDs during EOD operations, so he was able to shoot at the anti-American forces after taking over the M107 and completely annihilated the snipers. This sniper battle takes place at a distance of 800 meters, and the level of detail is rare, and the spatial positional sense is very clear.
In the film, the blood and gravel of the deceased condensed on the magazine, making the M107's ammunition supply poor. This type of feed failure caused by the magazine is actually the most common type of failure in Western rifles. In the film, the soldiers are designed to wash the bloody ammunition with saliva and hump water bladders, and the shooter aims for a long time to cause nervousness and thirst, which in turn causes blurred vision; Details such as the young soldier Owen's hesitation to shoot in the face of the figure in the flock behind him are especially vivid.
The film's depiction of light weapons is also very accurate. For example, the Iraq police used the Germany version of the AKMS assault rifle with a side-folding stock; The soldiers of the fully mechanized Red 1st Division mostly used short M4A1 carbines, and the sights and attachments of different characters were slightly different. Owen's M4 carbine was fitted with M68AIMPOINT sights and tactical flashlights, and Sergeant Sanborn's carbine was fitted with ACOG sights. The M4A1 carbine is accurate and lightweight, and left-handed shooter Owen won't get in the way when he shoots with his left hand. The post-production of the film deliberately downplayed the dramatic elements such as sniping, and all the camera angles of the guns were not crosshaired, but chromatic aberration was added to make it more realistic.
In terms of personal equipment, the members of the bomb disposal team are all dressed in new MOLLE II-sized bulletproof vests, and the lanyards on their chests are inserted with various tools that need to be quickly accessed, such as multi-purpose pliers from Buck or Gobo, tactical folding knives from Butterfly, LED tactical flashlights, sunglasses from oakley, and spare electrical tape. Behind it are individual equipment that does not need to be quickly accessed, such as hump water bladders, ASP plastic handcuffs, etc. The walkie-talkie bag on the back is equipped with a large Motorola digital "Sabre" walkie-talkie, and the kettle is also carried in a new MOLLE II size kettle bag.
Stills: Owen on the verge of collapse under the weight of the mission. The Butterfly Company tactical folding knife he wears on his chest is more eye-catching for outdoor enthusiasts.
James' helmet and bulletproof vest are still made of old-fashioned tri-color camouflage fabric, rather than the new ACU digital camouflage fabric, indicating that he is older. Small details such as badges, name tags, personal items and other small details have ravaged veterans familiar with the war in Iraq.
It may be that the film's shooting conditions in Jordan are limited, and the US military does not officially support the film, so the "Bomb Disposal Unit" has some heavy equipment. A typical flaw is the "Humvee" car that "runs naked". The reinforced armored "Humvee" M1114 in the film is actually an ordinary unarmored "Humvee" car, with only a square door panel similar to the M1114 and a machine gun tower on the side door. However, the typical layout of the interior of the military "Humvee" can still be seen: near the center of the windshield is the on-board tactical radio, and below it is the gearbox and dashboard sections, the protrusions of which extend along the entire direction of the vehicle's propeller shaft. The four crew members were seated along either side of the propeller shaft protrusion, and the soldier operating the machine gun tower stood on top of the protrusion. A hammock-shaped canvas belt was installed on the seat of the machine-gun turret, which could be used as a seat for the soldier to rest. The flat car behind the seat is fixed with EOD robots, protective clothing, ammunition and other special equipment.
Stills: The "Humvee" used in the play is not the actual equipment, but the prop master modified it according to the shape of the enhanced armor type "Humvee".
Because the U.S. military refused to provide the "Stryker" wheeled armored vehicles in service, the Charles Taylor Props Company, which was in charge of the film, had to replace it with South Africa-made 6×6 armored vehicles.
End
The finishing touch of the film is a conversation between James and his young son. As time passed, the big man had fewer and fewer toys, and all that was left was an IED fuse under the bed that nearly killed him. Whether it is 7 bombs or 800 bombs, it is difficult to fill the lonely heart of an EOD expert. As the New York Times war correspondent Chris · Hyzhi famously said: War is a drug, and if you don't fight it, you can't enjoy it. The film implies that war has transcended iconic content such as IEDs, playing cards, contractors, etc., and has driven everyone in that world crazy.