The Humvee has become the symbol of half a dozen US military interventions, from the 1989 invasion of Panama to the chaos of Iraq. But what is it, and how did it evolve?
The Army set out draft specifications for a vehicle to replace a range of older light utility vehicles. Three companies – AM General, Chrysler Defense and Teledyne Continental – built prototypes and ran them through tough off-road tests. Learn More About Us Here
The Humvee was born in the 1970s as a military vehicle. The Army needed a new transport system to move cargo and personnel across a range of difficult terrains, so they developed a truck with the ability to traverse anything the enemy could throw at it. The project was led by the company AM General, and they produced a prototype called the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). Its name was soon shortened to simply Humvee and the truck became an icon of America’s military prowess, showing up in news footage and war documentaries around the world.
The truck’s rugged build and all-terrain capabilities made it a smash hit when the U.S. military steamrolled Iraq in 1991 and 2003. In those early battles, the Humvee was a fearsome presence and a feared enemy of the insurgency. But in more recent years, the Humvee has struggled to keep pace with new threats such as roadside bombs and ambushes. It has been quickly usurped by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which is more heavily armoured and able to handle a wider variety of battlefield conditions.
Designed to carry soldiers and cargo, the first generation of Humvees featured GM’s 6.2L diesel engines and Turbo-HydraMatic 400 transmissions with full-time four-wheel drive and fully independent suspension. These powerful vehicles boasted 16 inches of ground clearance, and could climb steep inclines and departure angles as well as a 60-percent grade. They also towed trailers and were capable of towing up to 20,000 pounds.
In 1992, AM General opened the military Humvee to civilian sales under the brand name Hummer. It was built in the same factory as its military counterpart, and used many of the same components. In fact, the civilian and military versions of the Humvee shared the same brakes, axles, body panels and frame. They even used the same engine and got about 10 miles per gallon. The Hummer was an immediate success, thanks in part to the enthusiastic support of Hollywood tough guy Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The hulking attention-grabbing road warriors gained an even wider audience in the years that followed. They were a staple of the media during the Gulf War, and appeared in films such as Kindergarten Cop, and the TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard.
The Humvee’s capabilities
In its various incarnations, the Humvee has conquered mud, sand, rocks, snow and more. The funny-looking 4×4 has evaded detection in the desert, pulled trailers down the highway and ridden inside the belly of transport aircraft. And as threats have evolved from the expected fast-paced movements of the Cold War to insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Humvee has adapted.
The latest version, the Humvee Saber Blade Edition, is designed to enhance combat effectiveness and protection in contemporary warfare. It features 360 degrees of kinetic energy threat protection, under vehicle blast threat protection and even a floating armored cockpit.
Even though the military has moved on to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) from the Humvee, it’s hard to imagine a world without the big bruiser. It exudes power and ruggedness that’s difficult to match, and a surprisingly comfortable ride.
While the military’s new JLTV may be better than the Humvee at certain tasks, it isn’t going to replace the big-bumper for years. That’s because the Humvee has proven itself to be more than just an off-roader, and it’s hard to imagine a world where that won’t be true.
The military began retrofitting the Humvee with bulletproof windows and armor in an attempt to protect service members patrolling populated cities like Ramadi and Fallujah. But the addition of armored plates added so much weight that it slowed down the vehicle and made it more prone to accidents and mechanical failure. And while bulletproof glass is a huge improvement, it’s still not a foolproof system that can keep every service member safe in the event of an attack.
Fortunately, civilians are allowed to purchase and operate ex-military Humvees. And companies like Street Legal Exports are revolutionizing the way that we perceive these iconic vehicles by converting them from battlefield to boulevard. These companies specialize in transforming the raw, utilitarian Humvee into sleek, powerful machines that are just as at home off-road as they are on the highway. And best of all, they can be customized to your exact specifications. Just be sure to check your state’s requirements for titling and registration before making any purchases.
The Humvee’s challenges
In a military that prides itself on the strength of its bonds of trust and camaraderie, it’s a tragedy when an act of betrayal can tear those strands apart. The incident involving John Skipper’s sabotage of Humvee parachute packs in April 2016 was an event that left a deep wound in the collective psyche of the Army. Whether from the inside or out, such actions are not only demoralizing but can also threaten the very safety of service members who depend on the vehicles for transport and protection.
The Humvee’s story began in the 1980s, when the Army’s fleet of jeeps became ragged in Vietnam and it was clear that an upgrade was needed. The new vehicle would need to be more durable and capable of carrying the latest communications, weapons, radar and missile systems. The result was the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, which was introduced in 1984 and branded the Humvee when it entered frontline service in 1986. The hulking trucks ran on diesel power, had an automatic transmission and were considerably larger than the jeeps they replaced.
During the Iraq War, Humvees were targeted by IEDs and other roadside attacks, which exposed some of the vehicle’s flaws. To protect the soldiers behind the wheels, Humvees were retrofitted with armor and bulletproof windows, but the added weight of these improvements made the vehicles clumsy and prone to rollovers. Additionally, the extra strain on the engine, transmission and chassis accelerated wear and caused a series of mechanical failures.
In 2006, the Army and Marine Corps decided to replace the Humvee in frontline service with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, which is expected to be stronger and more nimble than its predecessor. The JLTV is being built by Oshkosh in Wisconsin and will be delivered to the Army and Marine Corps between 2025 and 2050.
While the Humvee is being relegated to a back-of-the-line role, there’s no denying that it remains an iconic piece of military equipment. With several programmes advancing unmanned ground vehicle technology, it is possible that the Humvee could experience a 21st century rebirth as an autonomous scout vehicle that can keep up with troops on foot.
The Humvee’s future
The military replaced Humvees in Afghanistan and Iraq with heavier, more armored vehicles because of the threat from roadside bombs. But that approach may not work in a high-tech conflict, argues manufacturer AM General. The military’s new vehicles have electronic engine controls, braking and other circuitry that a sophisticated enemy could hack with malware, scramble with directed microwaves or fry with the electromagnetic pulse from an atomic bomb or other source. By contrast, the Humvee has no such technology.
Unlike the 2-ton jeeps that once ruled the desert, the Humvee is a multipurpose vehicle that can serve as an ambulance, command and control vehicle, supply carrier and even an assault vehicle. Search the military’s archive of video clips on DVIDS and you’ll find the HMMWV in action all over the world, from the U.S. to Japan, Germany and beyond.
But as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq dragged on, it became clear that the Humvee’s unarmored design was vulnerable to IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and other threats, and it would need to be upgraded. The Army hastily up-armored select models, and in 2015 it chose a replacement for the Humvee called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or JLTV.
JLTVs are better than the old Humvee at many things, but they’re not ideal for some tasks, especially amphibious operations. The Marine Corps has already realized that JLTVs won’t fit on its Maritime Prepositioned Force ships, which are stocked with vehicles to support landing missions around the globe.
That leaves the Humvee with a future in which it continues to co-exist with the JLTV, and perhaps other vehicles in the military’s arsenal of tactical vehicles. But the venerable vehicle’s greatest challenge might come not from the rutted, dusty landscape of a battlefield, but from budget cuts that reduce its numbers.
The HMMWV may also get a 21st century re-birth as a low-cost unmanned ground vehicle. Several programs are advancing the technology, which could see converted Humvees acting as highly mobile scouts at the front of a troop advance. With thousands of the old trucks still in the inventory, and cost pressures affecting several acquisition programs including the JLTV, that’s one way to keep the humvee’s legacy alive for years to come.