|
|
|
|
|
Product Type: |
Lightweight four-wheel-drive (4WD) tactical vehicle |
Using Service (US): |
Army and Marine Corps (USMC) |
Program Status: |
Recapitalization, Upgrades and Sustainment |
Prime Contractor: |
AM General, LLC |
The High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is a lightweight, four-wheel-drive (4WD),
diesel-powered, tactical vehicle. It uses a common chassis and can carry a wide variety of weapons, including
machine guns and tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) anti-armor missile launchers.
The HMMWV has a low profile (6 feet tall), is 7 feet wide and 15 feet long. The vehicle has high ground clearance (16 inches),
which allows for excellent mobility. The proportions of the HMMWV makes for a stable, "road-hugging" vehicle that is very hard to roll over.
The HMMWV employs a high-grade alloy steel frame. The body of the HMMVW base variant is made of aluminum, which reduces the vehicle's weight
and helps prevent corrosion. The body is designed to flex to accommodate off-road use.
The HMMWV A2 series vehicles are powered by a General Engine Products (an AM General subsidiary)
V8 6.5-liter Optimizer 6500 diesel engine with 160 shp and can reach speeds of more than 70 mph.
The engine is coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD transfer case.
The HMMWV has power steering and power-assisted hydraulic disc brakes.
The HMMWV uses military 37x12.5 radial tires with low-profile "runflat" devices.
Some HMMWVs are equipped with an optional central tire inflation system (CTIS), which enables the driver to adjust tire pressure from his seat
"on the go" to adapt to changing terrain conditions, thus allowing for maximum off-road mobility.
The vehicles have either a 1+1 or 2+2 seating configuration depending on the model. The HMMWV uses a 12/24-volt electrical system
and comes with a 25-gallon fuel tank.
The different HMMWV configurations (cargo/troop carriers, weapons carriers, ambulances and shelter carriers) share a common chassis, engine and transmission
with a total of 44 interchangeable parts used in more than one position. This results in fewer training hours needed for mechanics.
Also, the HMMWV simplified supply, maintenance and logistics system (essentially one set of common parts for 15 configurations)
reduces life-cycle costs and saves tax dollars.
The newest HMMWV is the Expanded Capability Vehicle (ECV), which is an up-armored version. It is designed to provide greater
protection without sacrificing mobility and performance. The armor is available in an 'A' kit and a 'B' kit that, when combined,
provide gapless mine and ballistic protection. HMMWV armor includes underbody armor, rocker armor, lower windscreen deflecting armor,
perimeter armor, overhead armor, and rear ballistic bulkhead armor. Additional fragmentation kits are all field installable and removable,
which provides flexibility for missions that do not require the added protection.
The ECVs are heavier than the A2 HMMWVs but also have more powerful 190 hp engines vs. 160 hp for the A2 series.
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are also using the HMMWV + the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.0
is a special forces modified HMMWV M1165A1/B3.
HMMWVs are air transportable and droppable and can be sling-loaded by military helicopters (CH-47
and CH-53
carries two - UH-60 carries one).
Three HMMWVs can be carried inside a C-130 Hercules,
four in a C-130J-30, ten in a C-17 Globemaster III,
and as many as 15 in a C-5 Galaxy/Super Galaxy.
Also, in combat conditions, the HMMWV can be airdropped using the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System.
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Army decided it needed a new and better vehicle to replace the M561 Gama Goat,
the M151-series Jeep, and civilian trucks adapted for military use. The Army wanted a new jack-of-all-trades
light tactical vehicle and, in 1979, issued a draft specification for a new tactical vehicle to replace
all tactical vehicles in the 1/4-ton to 1 1/4-ton range. AM General won the bid to build the HMMWV
(Chrysler Defense and Teledyne Continental were the other companies in the competition) and was awarded
the initial production contract for 2,334 HMMWVs in March 1983. This was the first increment of a five-year contract
for almost 55,000 vehicles. These were produced in 15 different configurations. Of these vehicles, 39,000 were for the U.S. Army
and the remainder was split between the Marine Corps, the Air Force and Navy. Production started at AM General's Mishawaka plant in Indiana
in the fall of 1984 and the first HMMWVs were delivered in early 1985. According to AM General, the total production by mid-1991
was more than 72,000 vehicles including international sales. By March 1995, approximately 100,000 HMMWVs had been built with
the total tally, as of 2012, standing at 281,000 vehicles produced.
With the last vehicles ordered in 2010, the U.S. Army is no longer purchasing new-build HMMWVs (the Air Force is still purchasing the HMMWV ECV)
and is focusing on recapitalizing vehicles returning from theater.
A new vehicle, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV),
is intended to replace the HMMWV. The JLTV is currently in the development and design phase.
The advent in Iraq and Afghanistan of remotely-controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) has taken its toll on the fleet of
unarmored flat-bottom HMMWVs, thus creating a need for a new light tactical vehicle with better protection. The HMMWV was never designed to
withstand IED or mine blasts. HMMWV up-armoring through the addition of armor plates has provided increased crew protection, however,
the increased weight has reduced the vehicle's payload capacity, maneuverability, off-road mobility, and air transportability.
Armament/TOW missile carrier HMMWVs can be equipped with the M240 7.62mm machine gun, the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, the Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, or the Raytheon BGM-71 TOW II anti-tank missile system.
In 2012, the price of an HMMWV ECV was in the $140,000-$240,000 range depending on variant.
To provide a common light tactical vehicle capability.
In FY 2012, the Army will spend $4.3 million in support of the recapitalization of HMMWV vehicles.
FY 2013 OCO procurement dollars in the amount of $271 million supports the recapitalization of vehicles returning
from current operations for distribution to Active Army units.
For more information, click to see the FY 2013 Army Modification Budget.
The Marine Corps HMMWV Modification Program provides $8.1 million in FY 2013 to restore payload and performance
to extend the service life and enhance the durability of those ECVs not replaced by JLTV out to 2030. This will be accomplished by
exploring/evaluating various solutions based upon cost, weight, performance, and durability. The intent is to provide a "drop-in"
solution in the form of upgraded component kits that can be installed in the field or at the depots.
The request funds the purchase of an initial quantity of production kits to support evaluation and subsequent fielding.
For more information, click to see the
FY 2013 USMC Modification Budget.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and AM General, LLC
Last Update: August 31, 2012.
By Joakim Kasper Oestergaard (www.kostergaard.com)
AM General: HMMWV (Humvee)
AM General: HMMWV A2 Series Vehicles
AM General: HMMWV Expanded Capacity Vehicles (ECV)
YouTube: HMMWV | YouTube Videos
Fact Sheet: Not Available
HMMWV U.S. Defense Budget Charts: |
|
|
|
|
Primary Function: Light tactical vehicle |
|
Primary Function: Light tactical vehicle |
|
M998 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
