The HMMWV has conquered foreign battlefields and suburban soccer fields alike. But the heavier, better-protected Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is about to get replaced.
That means countless old Humvees will be headed for scrap. However, the online heavy equipment auction site IronPlanet has a different plan. They want to sell demilitarized Humvees, which’ll be much cheaper than buying a new one. Contact Street Legal Exports now!
In a world of military vehicles that includes everything from tanks to planes, one iconic vehicle stands out among the rest. It is a truck that has become synonymous with half a dozen US military interventions, and it is the HMMWV or Humvee, as it is more commonly known. This vehicle is not just a big bruiser that can crush miles of desert and other hostile territory, but it has also become an emblem of America’s global military reach.
Although the Humvee has come to be regarded as an icon of macho affectation, its original design was purely practical. The HMMWV, which is often referred to colloquially as a Hummer, was conceived by the United States Armed Forces in the 1980s as a versatile modernization of older light service vehicles such as the M151 Jeep and the Ford GPW command reconnaissance vehicle.
The vehicle was quickly embraced as a jack-of-all-trades that could be used for a variety of purposes, including transporting troops and cargo across hostile terrain, acting as a base mobile platform, and providing security and fire protection for the force. The only drawback was that the HMMWV, like the jeeps it replaced, offered little protection in combat environments. This was a problem that would not be addressed until after the battle of Mogadishu, where armored versions of the HMMWV began to appear.
Today, the HMMWV continues to be in use by the United States Armed Forces as well as many other militaries around the world. Despite the arrival of newer, more capable vehicles such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the Humvee is still in widespread use and will likely remain so until it is retired in 2050. It has even made appearances in popular culture, most notably in the 2005 film War of the Worlds as part of the Military forces deploying to counter the alien invasion.
The Design
The military humvee was designed to be a powerful and versatile vehicle that could be modified for various missions. It is powered by a diesel engine and has four-wheel drive, making it suitable for a variety of terrains. It also has a high ground clearance, which allows it to easily navigate rough terrain. Additionally, the chassis and body of the humvee are reinforced, providing excellent protection for its occupants.
The HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) is a family of vehicles that have replaced the CUCV and earlier vehicles (usually pronounced “Cuck-Vee”). Its official name is HMMWV, but it is commonly known as the Humvee, and AM General has trademarked the word.
Unlike the Jeep, which relied on agility to survive, the HMMWV is capable of taking on a range of military hardware, including mounted machine guns and tube-launched, optically tracked wire command-guided anti-tank missile launchers. It has the ability to carry a 2,500-pound payload under combat conditions, and it can travel long distances while being exposed to enemy fire and roadside improvised explosive devices.
One of the things that makes the Humvee so distinctive is its unique chassis. The axels of the vehicle connect to the top of the tire rather than in the center, which allows the undercarriage to sit higher off the ground. This allows the HMMWV to traverse steep and rugged terrain without becoming stuck or damaged.
Another thing that sets the Humvee apart from other trucks is its ability to be hooked up and dropped off by aircraft. It has loops around its frame that can be hooked onto parachute straps, which allows it to be transported and dropped from the air. This feature has made it possible for the HMMWV to be used in remote areas where access is limited.
The Performance
The military Humvee is an incredible vehicle. It has serious power and is designed to get the job done without distractions like air conditioning or a stereo. Its unique design allows it to go over rocks, debris, and other obstacles that would damage an ordinary car. The wheels are raised up off the ground so that there is no risk of getting stuck in mud or sand. Additionally, the axels are connected to the top of the tires rather than in the center, so the vehicles can be driven over steep hills without the bottom of the car getting damaged.
The HMMWV has been a workhorse for our Armed Forces since its inception in the 1980’s. It has largely supplanted the earlier CUCV family of vehicles and other light, four-wheel drive military trucks. Originally, the HMMWV had an unfavorable power-to-weight ratio, which resulted in a leisurely 36-second 0-60 time. However, the folks at Banks Power of Azusa, California, decided to make this already formidable battlefield vehicle even more potent.
As a result, they lowered the weight and made the engine more powerful to deliver an amazing improvement in performance.
Using commercial-off-the-shelf technology, they also added a hybrid electric drive system. The resulting vehicle is capable of going from 0 to 60 in just 2.5 seconds and has a range of up to 300 miles.
You can purchase your very own military Humvee through GovPlanet, an auction website that specializes in government and military surplus items. You can find vehicles at a fraction of their original cost and can even have them shipped to you for a fee.
The Armor
When the Humvee was first designed during the Cold War it was envisioned as a hot-rodded Jeep that could handle asymmetric warfare in the desert. As time went on though the threats have changed. Now the Humvee must fight IEDs and roadside bombs. This has forced the military to upgrade the vehicle. The Humvee now comes with a range of different armor kits that can be installed to make it more survivable.
A recent article in the New York Times describes the challenges faced by the Army to update the fleet of 12,000 Humvees deployed in Iraq. The soft aluminum skin of the vehicle is not much more than tissue paper in the face of small arms fire and roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Soldiers have been calling home to say that they feel exposed while driving these vehicles and that the military has been slow to address the problem.
The new vehicle that will replace the Humvee is the MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle. These vehicles have been designed to meet the new requirements of the military and are built by the same companies that make the Humvee. The MRAPs are more heavily armored and can withstand the new kinds of threats that have been emerging in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are also more maneuverable and can be towed behind larger trucks or cargo planes.
The MRAP will come in 15 configurations including cargo/troop carriers, weapons carriers and ambulances. They are also more fuel efficient than the current Humvees and will be easier to maintain in the field. For example, all the vehicles share the same engine and transmission. They have 44 parts that are used in more than one position and can be modified for specific missions with various add-on armor kits.
The Future
The Humvee has filled a lot of military needs that could not be met by other vehicles. For example, it was used as a troop transport vehicle and ambulance. It was also equipped to serve as a pseudo-tank by carrying a roof-mounted tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) anti-tank missile. It’s been adapted to serve in other ways as well including acting as a light cargo vehicle and service truck.
When the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) arose in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army realised that existing armored vehicles weren’t protecting soldiers and Marines from these new threats. This led to a project that brought together the Corps and Navy to design an armored vehicle that could better protect the occupants from IEDs. The result was the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle that features a V-shaped armor-plated hull to deflect explosions up and away from the vehicle.
In the end, however, the MRAP was not able to fully replace the Humvee. In fact, it was eventually replaced by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) which is much more versatile and agile than the old HMMWVs. It’s also easier to transport by ship and air.
As a result, the JLTV is likely to be around for a while even though the services are deprioritizing it for some missions. The services will still buy tens of thousands of them. Fortunately, AM General has worked with QinetiQ to develop a new electric drive system for their vehicles which is designed to make them even more responsive and agile. It will also help to reduce their logistical and carbon footprints. This is an exciting development for AM General and the military as a whole.
