The Humvee has conquered foreign battlefields, suburban soccer fields, and most of the terrain. But 30 years in, the Army’s light tactical vehicle has reached a crossroads.
Its replacement was recently awarded to Wisconsin firm Oshkosh. The new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, or JLTVs, promise to be more agile and better protected. Click Street Legal Humvee For Sale to learn more.
The Humvee has conquered foreign battlefields, suburban soccer fields, and everything. But the military’s mighty light utility vehicle has reached a crossroads: Is it ready to face the next generation of warfare?
The saga of the Humvee began in February 1981, when the Army issued a request for proposal seeking a new vehicle to replace aging jeeps. AM General, Chrysler Defense, and Teledyne Continental were tasked with creating prototypes for a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle. The winning design, later dubbed HMMWV or Humvee, came into service in 1984.
Compared to jeeps and other military light vehicles, the Humvee was much easier to maneuver in rough terrain. And it could carry more weapons and equipment than older models.
But its size also posed problems. It was too wide for some of the smallest roads and too large to fit into most forms of air transport. That limitation ultimately led to a short-lived experiment with militarizing civilian trucks.
Nevertheless, the HMMWV became the Army’s primary tactical vehicle. Its widespread use in the Gulf War and other missions, where it negotiated desert terrain with ease, helped inspire a civilian adaptation known as the Hummer.
Although the Humvee has served the military well, its original unarmored design made it vulnerable to improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US hastily up-armored select models, and the Humvee’s replacement in front-line military service is the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The JLTV is stronger and quicker than a Humvee, but it’s too big to be loaded into C-130 Hercules transport aircraft or be dropped from a helicopter. This has left the military scrambling to find other ways to deploy the JLTV, including converting some humvees into pseudo-tanks by adding a 105mm howitzer and a roof-mounted Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wireless-Guided (TOW) anti-tank missile system.
Design
The Humvee (officially called HMMWV by the military) was designed as a jack-of-all-trades replacement for the myriad Jeeps and light trucks that the Army already used. Its low-profile size allows it to be loaded in the back of a C-130 Hercules and delivered by helicopter with no need to land; it also hugs the road and can fit inside a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transport aircraft. Its versatility is what made it a hit when it was first introduced – and it spawned numerous variants that can do a host of jobs.
Soldiers have praised the vehicle as “Jeeps on steroids,” and its glitzy civilian model was popular enough to attract celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who bought one while governor of California. But by the time of the Iraq War, soldiers started to feel that they weren’t safe enough in the Humvees, which lacked substantial armour and sat so high off the ground that they could be easily targeted with IED blasts that ripped through the alloy skin. The solution was to cram the vehicles with more and more armor, but eventually this just overwhelmed the engines and sucked up the power that makes the vehicles move.
The new JLTV is a major departure from the Humvee, with multiple orders of magnitude more protection for the occupants. But it’s also a lot bigger and heavier, which means that it takes more energy to accelerate. This could offset the advantage it has over IEDs, whose shockwaves are weakened by the fact that more mass absorbs more of the force of an explosion. As a result, even the most maxed-out JLTVs won’t be as lethal as their uparmored ancestor.
Functions
The military vehicle known as a Humvee, or HMMWV for its full military designation, is a light 4×4 car/light truck hybrid built tough enough to carry a fireteam and big enough to fit in the back of a C-130 Hercules. It’s designed to fill a number of needs within the military that other vehicles can’t; it’s a utility vehicle, a service truck, an ambulance and even a front-line combat vehicle, depending on the mission set.
The Humvee’s design is modular, with different body kits that convert it to a weapons carrier, a utility vehicle or a field ambulance. It can also support headquarters down to the company level, act as a command and control vehicle and function as a mobile artillery battery. In its attack vehicle configuration, it can mount a powerful mix of weapons ranging from machine guns and grenade launchers to the laser-guided TOW antitank missile system normally air-launched by helicopter gunships.
Aside from its impressive offroad capabilities, a Humvee has the advantage of simplicity. There are no electronics that a sophisticated enemy could hack with malware or scramble with directed microwaves, and the vehicle is light on armor to reduce weight and vulnerability.
Despite its limitations, the Humvee has been a huge success and can be found in dozens of variations throughout the world in army arsenals. It’s also become a favorite with civilians, and the civilian version is known as the Hummer. It’s easy to see why it became so popular, especially given the fact that it fulfills a variety of missions in hostile environments. But will it hold up in a high-tech conflict? We can only wait and find out.
Modifications
The Humvee was a revolutionary vehicle for the US military. It replaced older open jeeps that could not survive the violent vibrations Security Forces endured during patrols 24 hours a day over rugged terrain. The Humvee was designed to be flexible and able to perform multiple functions including reconnaissance, logistics and troop carrier duties.
The vehicle’s chassis was molded around the engine and drive train, affording it massive ground clearance. It also had independent front and rear suspension and a torque-biasing differential, making it very capable off road. Its six-Two, naturally-aspirated diesel pushed out 185 horsepower and 330 ft/lbs of torque.
A basic Humvee can be outfitted with a variety of armor kits that offer the driver and passengers increased protection from bullets and mine blasts. Despite its flaws, the Humvee is one of the most versatile vehicles in the world and it continues to be in use throughout the world.
A recent modification was the installation of anti-lock brake systems and electronic stability control systems, which allows for shorter stopping distances and reduces brake system component wear and tear. The Army is implementing this safety upgrade on more than 1,900 of its HMMWVs.
The JLTV, the successor to the Humvee, is being introduced in 2023 and offers much improved protection. It has a V-shaped hull to deflect blasts from below, bulletproof windows and an armored crew capsule. It is the most advanced light tactical vehicle in the world.
Future
With a quarter of a million Humvees still in service around the world, the company that makes them continues to find new ways to upgrade the 1980s-vintage design. For instance, at Eurosatory 2022 they showcased a new version that could track, identify and destroy drones while in motion. The Indiana-based company AM General also developed a cargo Humvee whose flatbed can carry a 105mm howitzer, the kind of weapon usually mounted on tanks and helicopters.
The military is in the process of replacing its aging Humvee fleet with lighter, better-protected vehicles. The short-term replacement involves bringing in commercial off the shelf MRAPs, while the long term goal is a vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). Three companies are currently vying for the JLTV contract, including Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defense and AM General, the original manufacturer of the Humvee.
While the JLTV is expected to eventually replace the Humvee, experts say it will be some time before it becomes commonplace. For one thing, it will take 30 years to get enough of the vehicle into frontline service, leaving plenty of time for Humvees to continue serving behind the scenes.
The new vehicles will be lighter and more agile than the clunky Humvees, but they may not offer the protection level that was needed in many battlefield situations. Some analysts think that the US military needs to be honest with its troops about what they can and cannot protect themselves from on the ground in a future war, rather than trying to make every vehicle as safe as possible.
In addition to the JLTV, AM General will also display the HUMVEE Charge Hybrid Electric Vehicle concept at AUSA. This new model features exportable power, silent watch capabilities and enhanced fuel efficiency. It will also have a simplified electrical architecture that can accommodate hybridization and future upgrades.