The Humvee has conquered foreign battlefields, suburban soccer fields, and everything. But the mighty vehicle has reached a crossroads, and its future is uncertain.
In a competition that pitted AM General against Lockheed Martin, Chrysler Defense, and Teledyne Continental, Oshkosh beat a competing team to win a contract to replace the military’s current fleet of Humvees with Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. Click Humvee For Sale to learn more.
The Humvee is an acronym that stands for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. It is a family of light, four-wheel drive military trucks, and utility vehicles produced by AM General. The Humvee has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the original jeep and similar vehicles, including the M151 Jeep, the 2-ton M274 Mule, and the 6-wheel-drive M561 Gama Goat. It is used by the US military and other militaries worldwide and has also been adapted for civilian use. Although there are many different variants of the Humvee, each shares a common chassis and engine. This allows mechanics to work on any model quickly and efficiently. It is also very rugged, able to operate in a wide range of environments from desert to jungle.
Humvees are a mainstay of the modern military and are commonly found around the world, though their presence is perhaps most visible in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their success has made them synonymous with the American military and have even inspired a popular civilian automobile brand, Hummer.
Although the Humvee is a highly versatile and capable vehicle, it has some shortcomings. It is prone to being hit by Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, which are roadside bombs that kill and maim soldiers. It is also a thirsty vehicle, needing to be regularly refueled, and it can suffer from mechanical issues in combat. As a result, the army is beginning to replace its Humvee fleet with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or JLTV, manufactured by Oshkosh.
Civilians are allowed to own Humvees, and they can be purchased through military surplus auction companies like GovPlanet. They are usually quite affordable and can be modified to suit a particular purpose. However, it is important to note that a civilian Humvee must still meet your state’s requirements for registration and titling. You can find information on your state’s requirements by visiting your local DMV or by contacting your state’s titling authority.
Types of Humvees
There are a number of different types of Humvees. The original military versions were called High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), and they are still used by the US Army and many other countries and organizations. They are also popular in civilian adaptations.
The HMMWV was first designed to transport infantry in support of armor. Its rugged design and excellent off-road handling made it ideal for this task. The HMMWV has also been used as an armoured fighting vehicle, a light cargo hauler, a missile platform, a detection unit, and a staff car. The HMMWV can be equipped with a range of weapons, including machine guns and mortars.
In addition to these military uses, the HMMWV has also been used in disaster response and humanitarian efforts. For example, it was deployed in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake to provide emergency medical care and aid in search and rescue operations. The HMMWV also served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it became a familiar sight in the media. It was able to negotiate the rough desert terrain with ease and helped inspire the creation of the Hummer automotive brand.
Despite the popularity of the Humvee, there are some criticisms of its performance in urban combat. The vehicle was not designed to navigate the streets of a city, and it proved to be easy prey for insurgents. Insurgents were able to take out many HMMWVs by using roadside bombs and ambushes. Fortunately, the United States military is working on several initiatives to replace the aging Humvees. These include short term replacement with MRAP vehicles and long term replacement with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
While the Humvee is no longer the main vehicle for carrying infantry in combat, it is still an effective support vehicle. It is still used for ambulances, missile platforms, detection units, and light cargo haulers. The Humvee has also become a symbol of the modern US military, and it is often seen in movies and TV shows.
The HMMWV is powered by a 6.2L Detroit diesel engine. While this engine is not particularly fast, it is reliable and provides adequate power for most applications. The HMMWV has also been modified by adding armor, weapons, and other accessories. It is also a popular choice for off-road enthusiasts who want to turn their trucks into military-style machines.
History of Humvees
The Humvee has conquered foreign battlefields, suburban soccer fields and all of the terrain in between. Now, with gas prices high and warfare evolving, the vehicle has reached a crossroads. Can it still fulfill the missions-civilian and military-it was built for?
The story of the Humvee began in 1979, when AM General was awarded a contract by the Pentagon to build 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). These vehicles were designed to transport troops and cargo. They first entered combat in the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, known as Operation Just Cause. The HMMWV was an immediate success, as it had the ability to overcome difficult terrain and was highly effective at transporting troops.
Over the years, various upgrades and improvements were made to the original vehicle. For instance, a 105mm howitzer was added to the roof for improved firepower. In addition, armor kits were developed to make the HMMWV more capable in terms of protecting passengers and equipment.
Despite these upgrades, the Humvee was never intended to be a battle tank. The Army quickly realized that the vehicle needed more protection, so it was hastily up-armored and replaced frontline units with the mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAPs).
AM General continued to produce models of the HMMWV for the Armed Forces through the end of the 20th century, when they were eventually replaced by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The JLTV is faster, more agile and can carry more gear than a Humvee. It is also equipped with a V-shaped mine-resistant hull, better suspension travel and locking differentials, as well as a 400-horsepower turbo diesel engine that leaves the Humvee’s Six Two motor in the dust.
After a few decades of being a symbol of the United States, the Humvee is beginning to lose its luster in military circles. The military is slowly demilitarizing its HMMWV fleet by selling the vehicles to civilian auctions. While this will help to free up some storage space, it does nothing to help the Humvee’s image. Miles Fiberglass offers Humvee composite panel reinforcement kits that are designed to protect and repair cracked hoods, which can reduce the vehicle’s durability and effectiveness.
Future of Humvees
As the military began to deploy more advanced communications, weapons, and missile systems that strained the load-carrying ability of the jeeps, AM General started developing a larger vehicle. The first Humvee entered service in 1984. Over the decades that followed, the Humvee became a fixture in military operations around the world.
The military is still relying on the Humvee today. But the truck is beginning to be replaced by a newer model called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV. The Army and Marine Corps began deploying JLTVs in 2021, though it will take years to replace all the Humvees. The JLTV has better armor; a larger, V-shaped mine-resistant hull that is less likely to detonate; more suspension travel; locking differentials; and a 400-horsepower diesel engine that leaves Humvee engines in the dust.
But despite being better at most things than the Humvee, the JLTV is not ideal for every scenario the military may face. For example, the Marines want a lighter truck that can drive off-road and be loaded into Marine CH-53E Super Stallion and Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters. But the JLTV isn’t lighter than the Humvee, and it would cost more to build a new version of the vehicle that’s both lightweight and protected enough for the Marines to use.
In the short term, the military will continue to need uparmored Humvees for operations in high-threat areas, even if they aren’t as effective as the newer trucks. And the Pentagon is requesting money to upgrade some of the older vehicles, including adding anti-lock brakes.
In the long run, though, the military might look for a smaller and lighter truck than the JLTV to meet its requirements. If that’s the case, the Humvee could fade away into history as the military moves on to a different kind of light tactical vehicle. In the meantime, the public can still buy surplus Humvees through auction websites like IronPlanet or GovPlanet, which offers a variety of options for transporting the ex-military machines to their new homes. Shipping costs can vary based on the size and weight of the Humvee, the distance between the buyer and seller, and the time of year.
