This modern gabions, called HESCO bastions, are something you see more and more wherever Western armies are deployed. They have become a common sight in every compound in Afghanistan or Iraq and even during training in Europe or America.
HESCO earth-filled barriers are rapidly deployed defensive units that can be surface mounted and provide protection against threats, both natural and man-made. It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner and used as a temporary to semi-permanent levee or blast wall against explosions or small-arms.
The idea behind the hesco is quite simple : the empty wire containers, all linked in one long chain, can be transported into the deployment area, being properly folded in a classic sea container. Once in theatre, the engineers deploy the quantity needed and, using a bucket loader, quickly fill these with locally found soil like sand, stones, etc.... giving the troops an instant blast protection. Individual units can be obtained by taking out the connection rods.
This concept was originally developed by a British company in the late 1980s. Since then, it has been copied by several other manufactures, which results in a great variety in sizes, colours and wire patterns available. This picture gives you a nice example what combinations can be found in the field.
HESCO gabions are produced with different heights, varying from 1.37m (54") to approx. 2.74m (108"), optimized for specific functions (e.g. a simple parapet or a complete bunker). These in the set are 2 cm (0.78") high, so in real life these would be 1.44 m (56") which is within the limits.