The Ultimate Ride against National Disasters and Calamities

[Benji_DCP]

During the late '70s, the AFP had introduced their own indigenous hovercraft which they called the "Pugo". I dont know whatever happened to them. It was a jeepney size craft.

Unfortunately like all gains or advances that this country has made, they are squandered, misused and forgotten.

[ghosthunter]

how about "on the 'flood' training"? even swimmers should also be informed when not to swim especially in waters with strong currents. subsidize access to cheap life jackets perhaps.

Actually, with swift moving waters only a few inches, one should NOT try crossing it because you can easily slip & fall and the water will carry you swiftly away to possible death.

[cktlcmd]

I am just curious...do you guys know the brand name of those humongous ARMY Trucks that the Army uses to deliver relief goods? I find them good to look at and can't seem to find what brand they are. Are they locally produced?

[Taurus]

This one just came out from YAHOO.

A California company has combined a Corvette with a luxury speedboat and thrown in some jet ski to create a holy trinity of awesomeness it calls the WaterCar Python.

For around $170,000, you can pick up a Python rolling chassis and install a General Motors LS series engine of your choosing — from a used LS1 to the same mind-bendingly powerful LS9 found in the Corvette ZR1. Choose that level of insanity and WaterCar estimates the engine and transaxle installation should run an additional $30 to $50K.
Once installed, the Python will make short work of your trip to the boat launch with an average 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. Once you get to the yacht club, stun your high society friends by driving the Python straight into the water, pressing one button to retract the wheels and another to start the jet. You’ll be gliding on a bright blue highway in seconds. Far from a glorified Amphicar, this baby can do 60 mph on the water.
In addition to being one of the absolute coolest toys we’ve ever seen, we can imagine high-speed police chases in L.A. might get a bit more interesting if suspects choose a Python as their getaway car.

On land, the Python is a custom-built hot rod that looks like a cross between a Chevy Avalanche and a Corvette. Out on Lake Havasu, where you just know one of these will show up, it’s a 20 foot luxury boat appointed with a polished wood dashboard and a leather wraparound bench seat — just like the Chris Craft you keep at your house in the Hamptons. Sadly, air conditioning, an automatic transmission and a hardtop are not currently available.
We’re especially amused by the dual set of safety and regulatory guidelines that apply to an amphibious motor vehicle. Headlamps and turn signals are to be used on land but green and red nautical lights are for use on the water. Not only do owners of the Python need to register their vehicle as both a car with license plates and a boat with marine stickers, but special amphibious vehicle insurance must be purchased unless owners want to buy both a car and boat policy.
On paper, the Python appears to be twice as fast on the water than its closest competitor, the Gibbs Aquada. We wonder how long it will be before someone smashes Sir Richard Branson’s record of crossing the English Channel in an amphibious automobile that he set in his Aquada back in 2004.

[ghosthunter]

I am just curious...do you guys know the brand name of those humongous ARMY Trucks that the Army uses to deliver relief goods? I find them good to look at and can't seem to find what brand they are. Are they locally produced?

They are called DUKW (or "Duck"). They were first made in WWII for the Normandy assault.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUKW



They were made simply by bolting on a boat-like chassis on an existing truck frame, engine and transmission.

[badkuk]

actually i was wondering why no one bothered strapping up a few bamboo poles to make rafts during the relief efforts. heck, some of the residents even built a bamboo raft with 5-gallon water dispenser bottles for flotation. i don't see why they can't just strap on an outboard motor to it...magaling naman ung pinoy sa improvisation.

then again, Ondoy really caught everyone flat-footed; relief workers were probably up to their eyeballs(some literally) in the mud.

[ghosthunter]

actually i was wondering why no one bothered strapping up a few bamboo poles to make rafts during the relief efforts. heck, some of the residents even built a bamboo raft with 5-gallon water dispenser bottles for flotation. i don't see why they can't just strap on an outboard motor to it...magaling naman ung pinoy sa improvisation.

then again, Ondoy really caught everyone flat-footed; relief workers were probably up to their eyeballs(some literally) in the mud.

Maybe it's because stuff that can float in the flooded areas already floated away in the swift moving water?

[Benji_DCP]

The timawa.net site reports that the Navy's Marine Corp have a few amphibious vehicles. I have not seen them in action during the height of rescue operations after typhoon Ondoy or Pepeng. However I recall having watched one GMA news clip which showed what look like a DUKW, which could not move forward into the flooded Ortigas Ext area, since the amphibians propeller was reported to be broken.

The other amphibious vehicles in the AFP arsenal are the following:

GKN Aquatrack
Owing to its experience in amphibious vehicles as well as its role in disaster relief operations the Philippine Marine Corps operates the two British GKN Aquatrack amphibious vehicles of the Department of Defense Civil Defense Office.

Similar in concept to the LARCs, the Aquatrack was designed to ferry cargo from vessels off-shore to a beach or inland areas in support of Marine amphibious operations. In the Philippines its capabilities make them invaluable for rescue and disaster recovery operations in flood-prone areas around the country.

GKN derived the vehicle's tracked running gear from the US MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System). It is also equipped with a propeller for increased speed in water.

(Photo courtesy of the Philippine Marine Corps)

LARC (Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo)
The Marines also operate the older LARC, or Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo vehicle.

Like the Aquatrack, LARCs are amphibious transport vehicles used to carry cargo from off-shore supply vessels to a beach, or inland transport areas.

On land LARCs can travel at 30 mph and on water, 9.5 mph. Its amphibious capability and large cargo capacity make it invaluable for rescue missions, disaster recovery, salvage, and more.

(Photo courtesy of the Philippine Marine Corps)