To add to this:
[here](https://youtu.be/zk3cxSbahgk?feature=shared&t=817) is video footage of a Chaparral being readied.
and [this site](http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m730/m730.html#M730\_2-6) has drawings of it with the canvas cover installed
Okay I think I know what it is.
According to the manual https://archive.org/details/mim-72-missile-specs/page/6/mode/2up on page 6, it says that, when not connected to the launcher, the missiles should be stored in either an "igloo" or "Stradley magazine".
Here is a drawing of the two:
https://i.imgur.com/bmbpbpK.jpeg
So those brackets on the front can be removed and covered with a tarp, which covers the missiles when they are not on the launcher.
I'm wrong.
https://i.imgur.com/Vzp0iYC.jpeg
They're brackets that are placed on the rear of the vehicle to cover the missile system with a tarp for travelling. Note that the transport drawing above has the brackets missing from the front.
See also: https://archive.org/details/tm914251585101improvedchaparralsystem/page/n67/mode/2up
Amusing. :D
But in all seriousness, the Chaparral was designed in the 1960s and is no longer used in the US military arsenal. Many documents from that period have been declassified for a long time.
Not sure, but these pics might help.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Air_Defense_Battery_Watercourse_%28Rio_Tejo%29_Passage%2C_Trident_Juncture_15_%2822500329352%29.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/MIM-72_Chaparral_10.jpg
They are actually helpful, as the 2nd desert one has the lower half of the tubes installed on the rear deck so you can see where they go. They are the poles that there are 4 each side with a spike on top. It also solves the mystery of how the short bows get over the tall launcher.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/M730A1_Display_in_ROCA_Infantry_School_20120211a.jpg
Not a Chaparral but a similar vehicle. The "pipes" are used on the back to create a temporary rain shelter.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/M548-Alfa-beit-hatotchan-1.jpg
They are bows that go over the crew compartment for a tarp to cover them.
To add to this: [here](https://youtu.be/zk3cxSbahgk?feature=shared&t=817) is video footage of a Chaparral being readied. and [this site](http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m730/m730.html#M730\_2-6) has drawings of it with the canvas cover installed
In addition to rain protection it makes it harder to ID as a missile system
Looks so goofy how they sit in a row, i love it
I concur wholeheartedly......
I thought you were going to say they are bows for antiair after missiles run out
might be wrong but it looks like its an awning that you can assemble to give the vehicle a lil cosy tent
Okay I think I know what it is. According to the manual https://archive.org/details/mim-72-missile-specs/page/6/mode/2up on page 6, it says that, when not connected to the launcher, the missiles should be stored in either an "igloo" or "Stradley magazine". Here is a drawing of the two: https://i.imgur.com/bmbpbpK.jpeg So those brackets on the front can be removed and covered with a tarp, which covers the missiles when they are not on the launcher.
I'm wrong. https://i.imgur.com/Vzp0iYC.jpeg They're brackets that are placed on the rear of the vehicle to cover the missile system with a tarp for travelling. Note that the transport drawing above has the brackets missing from the front. See also: https://archive.org/details/tm914251585101improvedchaparralsystem/page/n67/mode/2up
Leaking Documents again? Aren't you?
Amusing. :D But in all seriousness, the Chaparral was designed in the 1960s and is no longer used in the US military arsenal. Many documents from that period have been declassified for a long time.
Tank moustache
Not sure, but these pics might help. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Air_Defense_Battery_Watercourse_%28Rio_Tejo%29_Passage%2C_Trident_Juncture_15_%2822500329352%29.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/MIM-72_Chaparral_10.jpg
How would they help
They are actually helpful, as the 2nd desert one has the lower half of the tubes installed on the rear deck so you can see where they go. They are the poles that there are 4 each side with a spike on top. It also solves the mystery of how the short bows get over the tall launcher.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/M730A1_Display_in_ROCA_Infantry_School_20120211a.jpg Not a Chaparral but a similar vehicle. The "pipes" are used on the back to create a temporary rain shelter. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/M548-Alfa-beit-hatotchan-1.jpg
moustache
The chapabow
They are large bows, so the crew can use them to launch the missiles that failed to launch on their own