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Eugene Leafty
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HMMWV Humvee, a Short HistoryAfter the Vietnam war, the Army was using the vehicles below.
M151 Mutt (Military Utility Tactical Truck): a 1/4 ton 4x4. This was the descendent to the jeep, and certainly looks the part. The M151 directly replaced the M38 1/4 ton truck. The M151 was plagued with oversteering and rollovers in quick turns.
M38 1/4 ton truck: This was the direct replacement for the jeep, and was later replaced by the M151 above.
MD61 Gama Goat: a 1-1/2 ton 6x6. This has a centrally mounted motor. It was unreliable and so loud that drivers had to wear hearing protection.
M715 1-1/4 ton truck:
The Army had 400,000 vehicles in the early 70's that could be replaced with cheaper lighter duty commercial vehicles. This led to the Dodge M880 3/4 ton truck:
When the Army started looking for a replacement light tactical truck, they wanted something that would handle TOW antitank missiles.
4000 of these vehicles were projected to be replaced with the XM996. It was later revised to be able to replace 50,000 vehicles.
AM General XM996
General Dynamics XM996
General Dynamics XM966 with missile launcher
As of July 1980, "the HMMWV was intended to be a modular design that could serve as a general-purpose tactical utility vehicle, a prime mover, carrier for specialized equipment, an ambulance, and a weapons carrier." (Vanguard, 6)
It was only supposed to protect against 16-gram fragments.
During development, they changed incorporated vertical slots in the grill as a throwback to the jeeps. It was first used in combat in 1989 in Panama against Manuel Noriega. Even though it wasn't designed for it, it served well in close combat. Even during this combat situation, it was noted that additional armor was needed if this was going to be used in close combat.
During Desert Storm, over 20,000 Humvee's were deployed, along with 10,000 newer M1008 CUCV's, and as anyone over the age of 25 would remember, the Humvee became the preferred vehicle. The Humvee gained favor by being able to go almost anywhere a tracked vehicle could go, and had an exceptionally high 90% readiness rating.
M1008:
Humvee varients:
Missile HMMWV-The Avenger:
Although the Humvee was used as a for scouting purposes during Desert Storm, the preferred scout vehicle was the M3 Calvary Fighting Vehicle. The Humvee was a poor fit due the lack of armor, and inability to engage if contact with the enemy was made.
M3 Bradley Calvary Fighting Vehicle:
The first armored Humvee to be produced any any insignificant numbers (>200) was the M1113. It was designed to protect against a 12 lb antitank mine under the front axle, a 4 lb mine under the rear axle, and doors resistant to 7.92 armor-piercing rounds from 100 meters.
Since there weren't many armored Humvee's, some soldiers took it upon themselves to modify their own Humvee's. Here's is the bolt-on kit developed by the Marines called the M1043A1 "MAK":
Other countries have developed their own varients of armored Humvee's.
The Swiss MOWAG:
Turkey's Otokar Cobra:
Here's a version of the story by Popular Science:
References: HMMWV Humvee 1980-2005, Osprey Publishing |
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