The military vehicle known as the Humvee has a long history. It’s so enduring that the US Army has begun replacing it with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
The Army set out to find an easily maneuverable vehicle to combat IEDs and other roadside threats. It contracted three contenders—AM General, Chrysler Defense, and Teledyne Continental—to design and build 11 prototypes. Click the Humvee For Sale to learn more.
Since it first entered service, the US military has had to adapt the soft-skinned Humvee to the demands of asymmetric warfare. When it was introduced, the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) was designed to shuttle troops and supplies to where they were needed behind the front lines. Its primary advantages were speed and maneuverability.
However, roadside bombs and small arms fire caused increasing casualties among the crews crewing these light utility vehicles. By late 2003, improvised near-term solutions such as plywood and sandbags were being used to protect the soft-skinned vehicles.
To address this issue, the US Army tasked AM General with developing an up-armored Humvee that would provide increased levels of protection while maintaining the vehicle’s agility. This resulted in the HMMWV SABER, which according to AM General “redefines survivability”.
The basic HMMWV comes equipped with Level I up-armor from the factory. This kit provides the vehicle with protection from IED blasts and small arms fire, but it isn’t designed to withstand a full-on assault. In order to achieve the higher levels of protection that a soldier needs on a regular basis, the vehicle is fitted with an “Add On Kit”.
There are currently 17 different variants of up-armoured HMMWVs in service in the US military. Each has its own unique “Add On Kit”. The M-1151A1 is fitted with the fragmentation kit five (FK 5) and the objective gunner’s protection kit to provide IED blast and small arms protection and allows the vehicle’s crew to view the battlefield through transparent armoured glass.
Besides up-armoring the Humvee, the company also produces other vehicles with higher levels of protection including MRAPs (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles). Compared to an up-armoured Humvee, these newer models offer multiple orders of magnitude more protection from bullets and bombs.
Unarmored
The Humvee was a symbol of America’s brash decision to enter a war it was ill-prepared to fight, and the soft-skinned vehicles were especially vulnerable to the insurgents’ improvised explosive devices. But the Army refused to bolster the vehicles with armor that would have made them safer and more maneuverable, even as soldiers complained about being exposed in the vehicles they rode into battle.
The unarmored Humvee was also difficult to drive in a city where traffic and narrow streets hindered its maneuverability. As a result, most non-combat units stopped using the vehicles for patrols outside their wire and relying instead on trucks equipped with armored escorts. Those early Humvees still exist, but only in the hands of collectors and museums.
Some units continued to send Humvees out on patrol, but they were usually only lightly up-armored with a few strips of armor. The add-on kits weren’t enough to protect the vehicle against the types of bullets and rockets fired by the insurgents, and they drained the vehicles’ suspensions and slowed them down.
Several companies have developed different armor kits that can be bolted onto the base model M1025-series Humvee. These can be identified by a rear-opening hatch and thicker doors with small windows, as well as a protruding grill assembly in front. Some companies are even developing new models of up-armored Humvees that offer more protection.
Many of these new kits are being tested as part of the Army’s HMMWV recapitalization program, in which it plans to upgrade 60,000 older Humvees with increased levels of protection. BAE Systems, Oshkosh and AM General are among the contenders to develop the kits.
For now, the unarmored Humvee is being replaced in some frontline military service by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which will be taller and carry more men but still retain the recognizable Humvee profile. The JLTV is scheduled to replace the jeep GP, M-38 and M-151 vehicles currently in frontline military service, which are too short and slow for today’s missions, and can only carry four men. The HMMWV is the most common vehicle in the US military, with a quarter of all vehicles in service now being the up-armored variant.
Multipurpose
The Humvee (officially called the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) is a four-wheel drive military automobile. It is used primarily by the United States Army, but has also been adopted by many other militaries and organizations and even civilian adaptations. It largely supplanted the Jeep and other older military light utility vehicles, such as the Vietnam-era M151 1/4-short-ton MUTT, the M561 Gamma Goat (including its M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions), the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle, or CUCV—essentially Chevy Blazer SUVs with OD paint, 24-volt electrical systems for slave cables and military radios, and roll cages/nets for safety.
The HMMWV is designed as a flexible platform that can be configured to serve several purposes within the military, including troop carrier, armament carrier, shelter carrier and ambulance. It has a 4,400-lb payload chassis, and can be equipped with various kits to transform into a scout vehicle, cargo transporter, utility vehicle, or a TOW missile carrier. Its body is made of aluminum rather than steel, which saves weight and reduces the risk of corrosion.
Its unique features make it a versatile platform for a wide variety of military equipment, from mounted machine guns to wire command-guided anti-tank missile launchers. It is capable of performing in a variety of terrain, from deserts to jungles, and can operate for long periods of time with minimal maintenance. It can also be sling-loaded onto aircraft for air transport or dropped from helicopters, and can accommodate up to 15 HMMWVs in a C-130 Hercules transport plane or 18 in a C-5 Galaxy aircraft.
Its asymmetrical stance and large track width give it excellent offroad capability, especially when equipped with the appropriate kit. Its independent suspension and steep approach and departure angles allow it to negotiate terrain that would stop most other vehicles in their tracks. In addition, its oversized tires are able to grip loose dirt, gravel, sand, and snow with ease. The HMMWV is also designed with loops around the frame that can be hooked up to tow bars or winches, allowing it to self-recover from most obstacles, or be recovered by other vehicles in a convoy.
The story of the Humvee
The Humvee is one of the most versatile vehicles in the military’s arsenal. It can be used as an open-topped scout vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, an ambulance, a TOW missile launcher and many other purposes depending on the situation. It is also among the most durable vehicles in service, able to withstand a lot of punishment and still get its crew from point A to point B.
The first military Humvee was manufactured for the Department of Defense by the American Motors Corporation starting in 1977. It was originally dubbed the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), but it quickly became known as the Humvee. The HMMWV supplanted older light utility vehicles such as the Vietnam-era M151 Jeep and its variants, the M561 6×6 Gama Goat, and the Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle.
It was after the 1991 Gulf War that people really began to take notice of the HMMWV and its abilities. Suddenly, the Humvee’s value became clear to the military and they promptly awarded AM General a contract to produce 55,000 more of them.
AM General also recognized the potential value of a civilian version and decided to develop it. They sat their R&D folks down and told them to come up with a design, which they did.
After the first civilian Humvees were produced, the military opted to up-armor some of their existing HMMWV fleets. This boosted their protective capabilities and sparked the birth of the modern MRAP, an upgraded version of the Humvee.
As the MRAP came into service, it gradually replaced Humvees in frontline military roles. But the Humvee remains a mainstay of the US military, especially in countries where they are most needed.
Aside from its protective features, the HMMWV is also very easy to maintain and repair. This is due to the fact that it is built on a sturdy platform of boxed frame rails and five cross members, which reduces the overall vehicle weight and increases its stability and strength. It is also very easy to add new components, including additional armor, weapons and other equipment.