Humvee replacement set for 2008

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Humvee replacement on military fast track

The original worked well in first Gulf war, but it was not designed for front-line urban combat.

USA TODAY

The Associated Press

A mechanic inspects the underside of a refurbished Humvee at the Maine Military Authority in Limestone, Maine.
The Pentagon is accelerating its search for a replacement for the Humvee, after two years of roadside bombs and suicide attacks in Iraq that have killed hundreds of soldiers in a vehicle that wasn't designed for front-line urban combat.

Before the war in Iraq, a Humvee successor wasn't due until the middle of the next decade. Now the Army plans to review designs this fall, and working prototypes will be due in June.

There are about 24,000 Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan. By 2008, the military could start using a new vehicle that provides:

# More protection for troops. Congressional pressure forced the military to add armor to all older Humvees and buy more models with factory-installed armor. But even Humvees with the latest armor are still vulnerable to the powerful bombs insurgents use.

# A beefier suspension that can handle the weight of the armor. The extra armor has led to increased maintenance problems for the Humvee, which wasn't designed to handle so much weight. The extra weight also makes it more prone to rolling over and getting bogged down in sand.

# Lower fuel consumption, to reduce the need for supply convoys that are targets of insurgents.

# Powerful on-board power generation to handle the expanding array of electronics that troops take to battle today compared with the simple radios of 30 years ago. Hybrid-electric drive trains, gaining popularity in passenger vehicles and already being tested in current Humvee prototypes, are under serious consideration for both mileage and power generation.

"We wish we had that vehicle out there today," says Lt. Col. Stuart Rogers, transportation division chief of the Army Combined Arms Support Command.

"Survivability is our primary concern," says Jeff Bradel, project officer at the Office of Naval Research, which is overseeing prototype development for the Marines. Unlike the Humvee, originally designed for moving troops and supplies behind the lines, the next vehicle will be a fighter from the start, he says.

The original Humvee design worked well in the first Gulf war, Bosnia, Kosovo and elsewhere, said Thomas Donnelly, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a research organization. The Iraq war has forced the vehicle into doing what "it was never contemplated that it would do," including battling bomb-wielding insurgents in today's urban combat.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=national&story_id=082405b1_humvee
 
It will be interesting to see what comes along. My MOS is Motor Transport Operator, so I'll likely get a first-hand look at them. The HMMWV has served it purpose, but it is an aging design.
 
phoenix_aim54 said:
any photo of this new vehicle?

I have not seen anything yet. If I remember correctly, there will be a few companies designing the new vehicle. Those vehicles will be put to field tests and the "best" (depends on whos eyes) will be chosen by the military.
 
I think it will be along the lines of the new infantry firearms and aircraft they are trying to design. A "one size fits all" scenario. Take the vehicle that best incorporates the needs of all the services and that will be the one.
 
I think the humvee is a solid design that should remain in our armed forces. I think it is merely overstretched beyond its design limitations. We should continue to use the humvee but include a heavier vehicle to replace the humvee in high-risk situations like patrolling down city streets and such.
 
Stop and think about future conflicts/wars and where they will be held. It is my opinion that many will be held in urban environments much like in Iraq. It will no longer be a matter of two armies meeting on the field of battle in honor and glory. It is the street to street fighting and war of attrition that will be waged.


The Humvee is a good multipurpose vehicle, but definitely not meant for urban warfare. There is entirely too much wear and tear on an uparmored humvee that has to "stand to" for multiple jobs.
 
I think anything new we build better be desighned to function well in SouthEast Asia.
 
well its not going to be and if a Afircan nation tries to fight the United States on big open deserts, god help them.

In all likely hood its going to be in and around South East asia.
 
Rabs said:
well its not going to be and if a Afircan nation tries to fight the United States on big open deserts, god help them.

In all likely hood its going to be in and around South East asia.


what i was getting at is that designing a vehicle for where you THINK a war will be isn't very smart.

you need to make a vehicle that will suit a variety of tasks and environments...something the hummer was designed very well for. but urban combat is such a specialised field that you need specially designed vehicles for it.

i think i read somewhere that the USMC are using south african designed vehicles due to thier resistance to mines and IED's[/i]
 
Yeah, I'm with you chewie.

I think the humvee should be kept as a general purpose vehicle and a specific urban vehicle should be added to replace the humvee in certain instances.
 
well its not going to be and if a Afircan nation tries to fight the United States on big open deserts, god help them.

In all likely hood its going to be in and around South East asia.

I'm confused. When you say "South East Asia", I take it mean Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar etc. Do you mean South Asia (India, Pakistan, etc) or the Middle East (specifically Iran) ?
 
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