Tropical Terror

FOREWORD

On every book project there are always new developments and technology that beg to be included. Some of them are far-out and off-the-wall, but some are so intriguing and fascinating that they must be included.

Watch for two of them in this book. One is the slippery little machine the Army is trying out to be used as a genuine replacement for the World War II Jeep. The Humvee isn’t in the same class. It’s too big and too observable by the enemy for actual front-line action. This new little horse is called the “Flyer,” has a diesel engine, four-wheel drive, and four-wheel disc brakes. It has a top speed of sixty mph, but has an extremely low profile, no top, mount for a .50-caliber machine gun, and is rugged. The driver sits in the single front seat, and two men in the rear seat. It has a high road clearance so it can work off-road. Price tag, about $100,000. It looked very good in testing when Marines put it through its paces recently at Camp Pendleton in California.

The other interesting development, which will soon work into civilian use, is the British Stealth Diving Suit. It’s being used now by Britain’s Ministry of Defense. It’s the most technologically advanced underwater breathing apparatus yet developed. It’s self-contained, no tell-tale bubbles. The heart of it is a computer-controlled oxygen and supplemental gas-delivery system to the closed breathing unit. This other gas often is nitrogen.

The unique part here is that the computer automatically controls the right mix of gases so the body can go up or down with total safety. Most current closed breathing systems are hard put to function at even fifty feet for any length of time.

Do you have any new weapons or systems that the SEALs might use? If so, drop me a line at my pickup box at: Keith Douglass, 8431 Beaver Lake Dr., San Diego, CA 92119.

Now, you have a good day.

— Keith Douglass

San Diego, CA