Inilah Kekuatan M113 Arisgator buatan Italia. Buaya Tempur TNI AD

AAV-7 milik Korps Marinir TNI AL tahun ini mendapatkan teman dalam perayaan HUT TNI yang ke-72. Kawan tersebut, siapa lagi kalau bukan M113 Arisgator buatan Italia, yang didatangkan dalam waktu kurang dari sebulan sebelum tanggal 5 Oktober 2017. M113 Arisgator jadi kendaraan amfibi pertama untuk TNI AD yang dapat dipergunakan untuk melakukan pendaratan prajurit ke garis pantai.

Walaupun ukurannya lebih kecil dibandingkan AAV-7, Arisgator yang bentuknya mirip buaya atau malah AAV-7 mini punya kemampuan berenang yang sangat prima lho. Sejak minggu lalu hingga hari ini para personil TNI AD terus menerus berlatih menaklukkan sang buaya tempur ini agar bisa berenang lincah menaklukkan gelombang dan arus laut yang cukup kencang di perairan Cilegon.

Cukup asyik menyaksikan Arisgator berenang lincah kesana-kemari, membuat perjalanan panjang yang penulis tempuh untuk menyaksikan persiapan TNI dalam rangka HUT TNI ke-72 tidak terasa sia-sia. Penulis memang secara khusus menyempatkan waktu untuk memuaskan dahaga pembaca mengenai berita alutsista.

Secara khusus rekan Weka G. Cha Bi yang merupakan penggemar fanatik kendaraan militer M113 dan khusus berpesan minta difotokan M113. Lagipula, buat penulis lebih asyik menyaksikan Arisgator milik TNI AD berenang dengan mata kepala sendiri, dibandingkan menonton link video luar negeri dari situs militer lokal.

Setiap hari dua sampai tiga unit Arisgator akan berenang melintasi pelabuhan Krakatau Steel ke arah Dermaga Indah Kiat di pagi hari, dimana kendaraan-kendaraan amfibi tersebut terlihat dikawal oleh prajurit di perahu karet yang sigap mengantisipasi kalau ada kendala. Untungnya, sampai hari ini proses pelatihan berjalan dengan lancar.

Dapat dlihat kalau M113 Arisgator sudah dicat warna loreng standar untuk kendaraan militer TNI AD dan tampak dilengkapi dengan senjata. Sistem senjata yang dipasang pada Arisgator tidak berbeda dengan saudara versi daratnya, M113A2 yakni senapan mesin berat M2HB kaliber 12,7x99mm. Ini merupakan senapan mesin andalan untuk keluarga M113.

Sekedar mengingatkan, Arisgator adalah hasil karya perusahaan Italia bernama ARIS (Applicazioni Rielaborazioni Impianti Speciali) Spazio. Ide dasarnya adalah modifikasi M113 agar dapat bersalin rupa menjadi kendaraan pendarat amfibi yang garang melibas sungai, rawa, dan danau.

Untuk mewujudkan hal tersebut, M113A1 harus dimodifikasi habis dengan moncong tambahan pada M113 berbentuk haluan kapal yang berisi gabus dan karet khusus yang ringan dan dapat meningkatkan daya apung, plus panel pembelah ombak yang dapat dibentangkan saat mengarung air.

Panel tambahan serupa yang ditempelkan di bagian belakang kendaraan yang sekaligus menjadi rumah bagi sistem waterjet. Kotak pengapung serupa dapat dipergoki di tiap sisi Arisgator.

Pada bagian atas, exhaust atau knalpot dipanjangkan dengan menggunakan snorkel pada sisi kanan atap. Grille untuk lubang masuk udara mesin juga diberi penutup yang lebih tinggi dari kendaraan agar tidak kemasukan air yang bisa menyebabkan mogok pada saat mengarungi permukaan sungai dan laut. (Militermeter)

5 Consequences of Driving without Car Insurance Do you own a car? Great! Does your car also have a valid motor insurance cover on it? Owning a car, while earlier classified as being a luxury, has now moved down to being a comfort. In fact, in metros, a car has almost become a necessity due to long-distance commutes. More and more of us are, therefore, buying a car. But are we also buying the mandatory car insurance policy? Every car which is to ply on Indian roads should have a valid car insurance cover, states the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. When you buy a new car, the choice of buying an insurance policy is, thankfully, taken out of your hands. The on-road price of the car is inclusive of the insurance premium for your car insurance policy. The problems arise when the policy expires after a year. Car insurance plans are usually issued for one year after which they should be renewed. If you do not renew it, you are driving a car without car insurance. If numbers are any indication, a study by New India Assurance revealed that about 70% of vehicles on Indian roads are without insurance. Is your car one among them? If yes, beware. Here are 5 consequences if you drive your car without having a valid Car Insurance policy: Be prepared to pay heavy fines Earlier, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 governed the road safety and traffic rules. Recently, the Government passed the Road Transport and Safety Bill 2014 to replace the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Among other changes, the Bill penalizes you heavily if you are caught driving without having a valid insurance cover. As per the amendments, you would have to part with a whopping Rs.25, 000 for a light motor vehicles or Rs.75, 000 for other motor vehicles as a fine for driving without insurance. A huge fine, isn’t it? Pay losses for damages caused to third party or property In an accident, if you unintentionally harm any person or surrounding property, you are liable to pay the loss incurred. This is called third party liability. Your car insurance mandatorily covers this third party liability and spares you the loss incurred. In the absence of a valid insurance cover, you would have to bear the losses incurred. If the person dies, your liability would be very high. Read more Is third party car worth buying? Pay losses for own damage While you have to compulsorily pay losses caused to a third party, what about your losses. In an accident even your vehicle suffers damage. The costs of repairs for such damage are borne by your comprehensive car insurance policy. Without insurance, the onus of paying for the repairs is on you. With the high cost associated with the repairs of your car, a financial strain is inevitable. Read more about All you need to know about car insurance Face legal complications Besides the financial loss suffered in an accident which causes damage to a third party and/or self, you would also be entangled in legal complications if your car is found without a valid insurance cover. You would be penalized, get a challan and might even be imprisoned. Loss of No Claim Bonus If your car insurance expires and you do not renew it, besides the penalties and fines, you also lose the No Claim Bonus which you accumulated in your existing policy. Car insurance plans allow a discount in subsequent year’s premiums if there is no claim in any current year. This discount increases every year and saves your premium outgo. If you let your car insurance policy lapse, you lose the accumulated NCB and end up paying a higher premium when the policy is consequently renewed. A car insurance policy is legally mandatory and not having one results in serious consequences (as mentioned above). While a third party liability cover is mandatory, a comprehensive policy is better. The former pays only for the damages caused to any third party but the latter also covers damages incurred by you and your car. The premium for a comprehensive policy is slightly higher because of higher coverage. For instance, the premium payable for a Maruti Ritz car registered in 2012 having a capacity of 1197cc would have a third party premium of Rs.2237 and a comprehensive premium of Rs.4200 (approximately). With a slight increase in the premium you can avail a higher coverage option which covers for your damages too. Since car repairs are expensive, a comprehensive policy makes more sense even if the premiums are a little high. So do not fall a victim to these consequences and buy an insurance policy for your car today.