Thread: Help Identify This Military Container

Just curious...
I've wondered what it is was originally used for.
It's 8' x 3' x 2'
It has a rubber gasket around the edge. The red inside is not rust, but the primer paint color.
I bought it many years ago from a military surplus store.
They only had one of them and didn't know anything about it.
It does say "inert" on top of it.
Do you know?
I have this for sale under the Parts and Accessories Classified section and I know I'm going to be asked this question.

I have not the foggiest

It may be an old field radar deployment box.. I have a similar one in steel. Does not have a rubber seal and I bought it to use it maybe in the future as a fitted, locking belt fed transport case

I thought welding tanks with the triangle points in middle as well as the sectioned ends and relief valve.

is that a series of numbers on the top? if so plug those numbers in to google and see what you find. My brother recently bought what appeared to be a foot locker but after checking discovered that it was box 27 of 43 or something like that of a communications system shipping box.

I checked and it says "inert" on top of it but no numbers.

My guess is an air transport container,hence the relief valve.
And that top with the 'triangles' does look like it holds a couple bottles.
But the little label says something about inserting desiccant? WTH is that? (OK dehumidifier,yeah I knew that)I might rinse it out before I sold it to someone with maybe chemical residue in it.

I kinda want it but not a drive to oregon worth. (hmmm,could hide a couple bodies in there)
How good are you at dropping stuff in the right place? lol

True on the relief valve it's for air transport

My guess would be communications equipment, thus the desiccant. It is slotted for a fork lift and the lifting rings are intended to be used by a crain, chopper or perhaps parachute drop.
Could have been a microwave communications link, but I'm just guessing!

When I bought it years ago, I remember it had a label saying something about...51...or...oh, I remember - area 51.

I just got out of the army. i have seen similar containers. Yours is smaller and longer. the engines for our vehicles came in those types of containers. Could have been for a transmission or something. When we would have to replace engines, they would come in those kind of cases and they would be in giant wooden crates.

the part that throws me off is fixed divider in the last picture, never saw one like, years ago when I was active duty army in maintenance we got lots of containers like that, they came europe by boat, the containers are usually designed for a specific component but are designed for all weather and outside storage and different methods of long distance transport, aircraft and ocean freighters.

Bottom line no idea on the specific item it was used for.

I thought this was going to be an easy task!

Wait till I post my other container I bought at the same time.
It's cylindrical with a flat top and bottom. Comes apart in the lower third and has a round rack inside.
It's stored at another location and will post at a later date.
Just don't need these things when I'm getting ready to move.
I appreciate everyone's help.
It's becoming more of a mystery.

all I know its an air droppable container, it could be for anything, we used the same boxes for many different items, the plate with the triangles could be just a one off for a specialty item

I got out of the USMC in 07 and climate/pressure controlled boxed were used and then reused for all kinds of stuff. Most of the ones I dealt with contained rockets or demo. The APOBS (Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System) always came in a fancy box, but much smaller than that. I'm inclined to say that your box housed some sort of rockets or maybe missiles especially because of the "Inert" designation. The triangular pieces in the center stopped whatever gear the box was designed for from rolling around. Probably practice rounds (hence the "Inert") were stored in here after the real boys were shot off. Every type of ordinance used in the military has an inert counterpart that is used in training. Judging by the size of that box, whatever was in there was nice and big. BOOM

Originally Posted by tankballs

I got out of the USMC in 07 and climate/pressure controlled boxed were used and then reused for all kinds of stuff. Most of the ones I dealt with contained rockets or demo. The APOBS (Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System) always came in a fancy box, but much smaller than that. I'm inclined to say that your box housed some sort of rockets or maybe missiles especially because of the "Inert" designation. The triangular pieces in the center stopped whatever gear the box was designed for from rolling around. Probably practice rounds (hence the "Inert") were stored in here after the real boys were shot off. Every type of ordinance used in the military has an inert counterpart that is used in training. Judging by the size of that box, whatever was in there was nice and big. BOOM

I am still in and I would have to agree. the "INERT" makes me think of a explosive of some kind that is inactivated, I am in the field artillery, but have a lot of Logistic experience and all of the training rounds are marked inert or not dangerous.

Mystery solved!
Found the original military shipping container label.

Glad you found the original label, we could have gone on trying to figure this out till Dec 22 2012 when the world ends.

Originally Posted by skydiver

Mystery solved!
Found the original military shipping container label.

I was on the floor man - that was killing me when I enlarged the photo.