The US military has a problem. It has thousands of humvees that are getting old, and the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) still needs to be ready to be replaced.
The Army and Marine Corps want the JLTV to combine the Humvee’s off-road performance with MRAP’s protection from roadside bombs. Three companies are vying for the contract: Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defense and AM General, the creator of the Humvee. Click the https://www.streetlegalexports.com/ to learn more.
The military Humvee conquers mud, sand, rocks and snow like a hot-rodded Jeep. Its unique design allows it to ride higher on its undercarriage than most trucks without becoming the tallest vehicle in its class. This feature is especially handy when soldiers have to airdrop their vehicles into hostile territory.
The funny-looking truck has ferried service members across the vast deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan and across the seas with Marine Expeditionary Units. It has pulled trailers down highways, dangled from CH-53s and ridden inside the belly of transport aircraft.
However, the Humvee’s limitations became apparent as it was pushed into tactical roles for which it wasn’t designed. The Army’s engineers quickly retrofitted the vehicle with additional armor, but it added too much weight and decreased performance and maneuverability.
When the Army’s engineers finally developed a replacement for the Humvee, they created an all-new truck that was better suited to the task at hand. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, was able to meet the Army’s needs while reducing maintenance and operational costs. But for now, the Humvee continues to serve in critical combat missions around the world. It’s likely to be around for years to come.
The Military Humvee
The Military Humvee is the best-known version of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV. This workhorse is used by various militaries and has also seen civilian adaptation under the Hummer automotive brand. It has largely supplanted older light utility vehicles such as the original jeeps and Vietnam-era quarter-ton Willys MB and Ford GPW Command Reconnaissance vehicles.
In recent years, the Humvee’s limitations became painfully apparent in front-line combat, particularly as close-quarter guerrilla warfare and improvised explosive devices took hold. Although armor was hastily added to selected models during the Iraq War, this added bulk to an already heavy vehicle, which slowed it down and made it more vulnerable to attack. It has now been largely replaced by the lighter, more maneuverable MRAP.
A recent collaboration between AM General and Mandus Group demonstrates the possibilities of adding weapon systems to the Humvee chassis. The Hawkeye Mobile Weapon System marries a Humvee prime mover with an M20 105mm cannon and a digital fire-control system. This combination enables the vehicle to fire and move in just 30 seconds, meaning that it can outpace many enemy armoured vehicles.
The Humvee’s days in front-line service may be numbered, however. The Army’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which was awarded to Oshkosh Defense in 2015, is designed to be lighter and more agile than the Humvee. It will also feature a new Duramax 6.6-liter turbocharged engine with performance enhancements by Banks Power.
The HMMWV
The HMMWV was designed as a vehicle for cargo and personnel transport behind the front lines. It has a higher undercarriage than most trucks and was designed to flex to accommodate off-road stress. It has a unique feature of loops around the frame that can be hooked up to cables in order to get it onto an aircraft and dropped from there by parachute. HMMWVs are also capable of being slung from helicopters, though they have to be equipped with special equipment for this purpose.
The name Humvee actually came from the military who nicknamed it as such after its initial production. The Army had named it the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, but this name wasn’t very catchy or easy to utter on the battlefield so they shortened it to the more pronounceable Humvee.
Unlike most civilian vehicles, the brakes on a military humvee are built into the axles directly instead of being mounted above them. This means the brakes are less likely to wear out and last much longer. Similarly, the engines of a HMMWV are water cooled in order to prevent overheating.
Despite their many advantages, HMMWVs do not offer protection from chemical, biological or nuclear threats and they are vulnerable to small arms fire. This is why the military is in the process of replacing them with more combat ready vehicles such as the MRAP and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Modifications
The Humvee, also known as the HMMWV or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, isn’t the only military vehicle to have been tweaked by its owners. The truck has become a consumer product in its own right, with accessories like tack spikes, shock door handles, runflat tires and even luxury features available to add to the rig.
In addition to the safety improvements, the modifications give the gunner more fire power and make it easier to engage close-range targets. The gunner no longer has to worry about the turret locking up while the vehicle is moving. Instead, the turret is designed to swing 30-degrees left and right without unlocking or moving, making it easier for the gunner to adjust fire.
Another modification aims to reduce damage caused by sand or gravel being thrown from the front of the vehicle onto the armored windshield. The solution is to remove the rear wiper and replace it with a clear piece of polycarbonate plastic that doesn’t obscure the driver’s vision.
A new report from POGO finds that the Department of Defense is using an obscure law to sell surplus Humvees to private buyers. The Exchange/Sale Authority allows the Pentagon to sell surplus equipment for the cost of similar items, but it’s often used to simply dispose of vehicles that are no longer needed.
History
The Humvee is a light military truck that carries people and supplies from point A to point B. It can be slung by helicopter, dropped by Low Altitude Parachute Extraction systems, or packed into a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Its 44 interchangeable parts make it easy for mechanics to fix problems on the go. It can also evade detection and travel long distances on highways and in the desert.
The Army began searching for a better vehicle to carry infantry and cargo after the 1970s when it realized that its M151 Jeeps and M561 Gama Goats fleet was out of step with evolving weapons and tactics. They wanted a jack-of-all-trades that could perform the roles of several existing vehicles on a single chassis.
AM General was commissioned to develop prototypes of a new, high-mobility wheeled vehicle that would eventually become known as the Humvee, or HMMWV. The military version was designed to replace the aging Jeep, and it became a fixture of half a dozen US interventions, from Operation Just Cause in Panama to the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Its drawbacks, however, were exposed in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs destroyed the minimally armored models.
Design
The HMMWV, commonly known as the Humvee, is one of the world’s most versatile light military vehicles. It can be configured with a variety of weapons systems and can withstand extreme conditions, including rocky hills, deep sand, and desert heat. It can also be slung from helicopters and carried in C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The original HMMWV was designed as a replacement for Jeeps and light trucks, and in that role it performed very well. The design features a low profile and wide stance, which make it very stable on treacherous terrain. The vehicle can also travel over 60 inches of water and has a maximum speed of 70 mph.
The HMMWV has also been adapted for a number of special missions, including search and rescue and medical evacuation. It can also be modified to carry a number of different weapon systems, including the Boomerang anti-sniper system. Currently, the military is preparing to replace the Humvee with a new vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The JLTV will be more effective than the current Humvee, but it’s not perfect.