American security service vehicles.

[andicole0]

Why do they always drive so close to each other in convoy?
Andi.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

So that another vehicle (potential VBIED) can’t disrupt the convoy.

 

[jsmoke]

So if they get ambushed they can keep together and guard the VIP?

 

[andicole0]

But if the first one gets attacked by a rocket the second will almost certainly get hit.
Andi.

 

[rxodium]

So if they get ambushed they can keep together and guard the VIP?

Bingo. It's not just the America SS that do it. PPOs and convoys do the same thing here. It's basic security 101 for any vehicles that travel in convoys with a VIP.

But if the first one gets attacked by a rocket the second will almost certainly get hit.

Somewhere where people can get their hands on an RPG to attack a convoy, the convoy is going to be bulldozing it's way through whatever at high speed. In cities that aren't torn to bits by conflict, small arms and rifle fire are going to be mostly what they encounter. Police vehicles here have been hit by home made mortars and continued driving to safety.

 

[ianh]

They'd both need a direct hit to both be taken out together, or the explosion would have to be massive, like a 1000lb bomb big, so realistically only the first is normally hit and the rest will plow through and leave the last vehicle to grab casualties etc or keep going with the convoy depending on the damage.

Of course each convoys "actions on contact" drill will vary from team/company etc but that's the usual stuff taught.

 

[rxodium]

like a 1000lb

South Armagh became an area of Northern Ireland that the British army could only travel about safely by helicopter because the Provisional IRA where mining the roads. The picture below was a 500lb landmine that blew a Saracen armoured car into the air and onto it's roof.

Updated with a larger picture.

 

[iamdjdz]

So ANPR can't get their plates when they knock motorcyclists off the road?

 

[Brizzles]

It saves on petrol, slip streaming.

 

[TheVoice]

Also prevents other vehicles from inadvertently cutting up the convoy. Any police vehicles travelling in formation will tend to stay close to each other.

 

[G-MAN2004]

Only the driver at the front knows the directions, so they all have to follow closely in case they get lost.

 

[Rroff]

Also prevents other vehicles from inadvertently cutting up the convoy. Any police vehicles travelling in formation will tend to stay close to each other.

More this - to prevent another vehicle intentionally or unintentionally entering the convoy as the moment they do they have to treat it as a threat.

Only the driver at the front knows the directions, so they all have to follow closely in case they get lost.

In the UK the "easyrider" or similar often has a good deal of autonomy on routing in other countries usually not so much - the US for instance goes to great lengths to clear streets on a fixed route.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

They're all connected with bit of string, like mittens but for vehicles instead of children's hand-socks.

 

[xxalxx]

They're all connected with bit of string, like mittens but for vehicles instead of children's hand-socks.

This

 

[jsmoke]

Show of strength also, just looks intimidating.

 

[ianh]

The picture below was a 500lb landmine that blew a Saracen armoured car into the air and onto it's roof.

The point is that smaller bombs tend to only "take out" single vehicles in the convoy, as the pic you provided shows, so you need much bigger ones to take out two or more vehicles at the same time or you need several smaller ones planted in series.

 

[BowdonUK]

It's probably based off the old Roman tactic of keeping close together and moving as one unit.

 

[R.P.L]

So ANPR can't get their plates when they knock motorcyclists off the road?

It saves on petrol, slip streaming.

Only the driver at the front knows the directions, so they all have to follow closely in case they get lost.

They're all connected with bit of string, like mittens but for vehicles instead of children's hand-socks.

These are the correct answers.

Being a Bad Company 2 veteran, I can confirm that taking out more than one vehicle with a single explosive device is nigh-on impossible.

 

[jpaul]

rather black humour but google threw this before this thread itself - interesting
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com...se of Close Protection Vehicle Techniques.pdf

Almost a third of all accidents are rear end shunts, and you wouldn’t be the first PES driver to shunt the Principal’s vehicle during a moment’s loss of concentration. Many accidents are the result of simply driving too close to the vehicle in front, which is a problem for us because very often while escorting a Principal a driver will remain quite close so that no other vehicle can jump in between the convoy

If the Principal is employing a PES and they have a backup car they should always travel behind the Principal’s vehicle, as this is the best position to take defensive measures should the convoy come under attack. If attacked from the rear they are already there. If attacked from the flanks they can quickly overtake or undertake to place themselves between the threat and the Principal’s car (Blocking) If the attack comes from the front then they can overtake and take the threat on from the front. So, in a two vehicle convoy the Principal will always be in the front vehicle. Some might argue that he should travel in the rear every now and then to keep the bad guys guessing, but this is wrong. The escort vehicle is severely hampered in its responses to attacks should they come from anywhere other than the front.
...
The lead vehicle must ensure that he positions himself with regard to giving the PES good visibility of the road ahead. This means that he will be at a different position on bends and junctions to if he were a single vehicle with no PES. At junctions he will position himself so as to make it easier for the PES to provide cover for them. This cover is both from live traffic or an attack of some kind
....
For example, in one instance an attractive girl in a Volkswagen passed the target vehicle and, when in front of it, suddenly slowed down to impede the target vehicle's progress. As the second attack car moved into position alongside the target vehicle and the firing began, the girl accelerated away and turned into a side street. In general, the attack vehicle held three persons; a driver, a man in front with the driver, and a man in the right rear seat. Both passengers usually brought weapons to bear on the target vehicle during the attack. The impeding vehicle frequently held only the driver.
......
Wearing of Seatbelts Dead simple; The Principal, his BG and driver should ALL WEAR SEATBELTS. There are still two schools of thought on this that persist, to which I answer with one high profile example where failing to wear a seatbelt resulted in a huge failure in Close Protection;

 

[mrk]

Who needs cars in a line when MEN are more than capable anyway??