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It’s December, which means slipping and sliding on roads, sidewalks and subway stairs can’t be far behind. The world’s armed forces, however, don’t let a bit of frozen precipitation interfere with their mission objectives, and fortunately, some burly machinery has their backs. From ATVs to 60-ton tanks, the contraptions that shuttle men and women in uniform to and fro in winter are made of hearty, hearty stuff.
Here are just 12 of our favorite winterized military conveyances.
U.S. Army Light All Terrain Vehicle
When it comes to ATVs, this Light Tactical All Terrain Vehicle may be the burliest of the bunch. In this photo we can see paratroopers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division demonstrate tactical halt with the Army’s new Light Tactical ATV.
U.S. Army Husky Mounted Detection Vehicle
Mine-clearing is risky business. Mine-clearing in snow? Fiendishly difficult. But the men and women of the U.S. Army aren’t going to let a little snow stop their operation. In this photo we see Company A, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division strategically clear a field in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.
U.S. Army John Deere Gator
When it comes to getting fuel in a remote location, these military-spec ATVs and UTVs are ideal for the job. Here, U.S. soldiers from Waza Kwah Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan receive fuel from a C-17 Globemaster III.
U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk
Take a look at this UH-60 Black Hawk as it lands in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, as Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Joyce shields his face from rotor wash.
U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler
Landing on an aircraft carrier is one of the more exacting exercises that a pilot can ever hope to do, but doing it in the snow is too much for our feeble minds to comprehend. Ground crews stand by as an EA-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132 taxis at Naval Air Facility Misawa in Japan.
U.S. National Guard Tractor
When snow falls on our home turf, the Nation Guard brings out the heavy tools to clean up mother nature’s mess. In this shot we see West Virginia Army National Guard assigned to 821st Engineering Company clear debris in Nicholas County.
U.S. Army Humvee
U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Chmielewski, from Bravo Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Gladius, shrugs off the snow as he operates a security detail in Jalokheyl, a village on the main supply route in the Kapisa province of Afghanistan.
U.S. National Guard Oshkosh Support Vehicle
The National Guard 116 Brigade Combat Team has boots (and an Oshkosh truck) on the ground during a snowstorm in Norfolk, Va.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy
This boat was busy chopping through ice for fuel Tanker Renda in Nome, Alaska, during the winter of 2012.
Russian GAZ 233036 SPM-2 Tiger 4×4
Russia’s military forces are no strangers to traversing the snow, nor is this Tiger 4×4.
Norwegian Army Snowmobile
Everyone knows snowmobiles are quick and agile in the right hands, so it is no surprise that Norwegian Army soldiers opted to use them in the village of Skjold during a live-fire exercise.
Swedish Army Hagglunds BV206
The Swedish military is very comfortable operating in snowy conditions thanks to their fleet of tracked support vehicles. In this picture we can see a M-973 small-unit support vehicle travel through the snow with utter ease and grace.
