These UN Italian troops look tough to me

[geetrue]

This is a two part article ... one side is the new French submarine coming out in ten (10) years and the other side is the UN Italian troops guarding Lebanon with Fiat-Otto Melara Puma 6X6 wheeled light armored vehicles.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aw/dti0107/index.php?startpage=14

[Skybird]

These Pumas are lightly steel-armoured vehicles, offering protection only against small arms callibre (but also against NBC contamination threats). Nightvision for driver, I think, and full-circle view (360° I mean) for the commander via periscopes. Armament could be one 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm, optional are TOW launchers. There are 4 and 6-wheel configurations.

A nice little toy for light action and recce, but you do not want to do a sharp battle in it. Since rockets and modern ATGMs are common goods with Hezbollah, and offside the roads the lack of tracks may pose a handicap to wheeled vehicles (as prooven by the Russian BTRs in Afghanistan), the Puma would not be my first choice as infantry carrier in Lebanon. Thick armour would be my absolute priority - and the Puma lacks in that. However, the engine is located in the front, like in the Israeli Merkavas it probably helps to increase protection against head-on-shots (leaving the vehicle as a lame duck in that case).

but it looks sexy.

Too bad that reunification has stopped the German Marder-2 project in the early 90s. That would have been a heavily armoured beast. Another alternative to the Puma in Lebanon that I would prefer are the highly agile Wiesels:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erby_RK6F6A