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This article refers to the Military HMMWV, not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle ('''HMMWV''' or '''Humvee''') is a Military 4WD motor Vehicle created by AM General . It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the M561 "Gama Goat" , their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV , and other light trucks with the United States Military , as well as being used by a number of other countries and organizations. Humvees were originally also referred to as Hummer s, though that term was later reserved for a civilian SUV based on the Humvee. FEATURES There are at least 17 variants of the HMMWV in service with the 2.5 ft (76 cm) normally, or 5 ft (1.5 m) with the deep-water fording kit installed. Optional equipment includes a winch (maximum load capacity 6000 lb. (2700 kg)), and supplemental armor. The M1025 and M1043/M1044 armament carriers provide mounting and firing capabilities for the MK19 Grenade Launcher , the M2 Heavy Machine Gun , the M240G/B machine gun and M249 SAW. The newly introduced M1114 "up-armored" HMMWV also features a similar weapons mount. In addition, some M1114 and M1116 up-armored and M1117 Armored Security Vehicle models feature a CROWS (common remotely operated weapon station), which allows the gunner to operate from inside the vehicle. HISTORY missile.]] In the 1970s , the United States Army concluded that the militarized civilian Truck s in use no longer satisfied their requirements. In 1977 , Lamborghini developed the Cheetah model to attempt to meet Army contract specifications. In 1979 , the Army drafted final specifications for a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV. In July of that year, AM General (a subsidiary of American Motors Corporation ) began preliminary design work, and less than a year later, the first prototype, the M998, was in testing. Humvee operated by the Military Police .]] In June 1981 , the Army awarded AM General a contract for development of several more prototype vehicles to be delivered to the U.S. government for another series of tests, and the company was later awarded the initial production contract for 55,000 HMMWVs to be delivered in 1985 . HMMWVs first saw combat in Operation Just Cause , the US invasion of Panama in 1989. The HMMWV has become the vehicular backbone of U.S. forces around the world. Over 10,000 were used during Operation Iraqi Freedom by U.S. forces as well as some other countries during the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq . One US Humvee was captured by the Yugoslav Army during the Kosovo War and is currently on display in front of the Military Museum building on Kalemegdan Fortress Park , Belgrade , Serbia . USAGE IN COMBAT soldiers and Iraqi army soldiers arrive for a mission at a children's and maternity hospital in Diwaniyah , Iraq in December 2006.]] The HMMWV was designed primarily for personnel and light cargo transport behind front lines. Like the previous Jeep, the basic HMMWV has no armor or protection against NBC threats. Nevertheless, losses were relatively low in Conventional Operations , such as Desert Storm . Vehicles and crews suffered considerable damage and losses during the Battle Of Mogadishu due to the nature of the urban engagement, however, the chassis survivability allowed the majority of those crews to return to safety, though the HMMWV was never designed to offer protection against intense small arms fire, much less machine guns and anti-tank rocket propelled grenades. However, with the rise of Asymmetric Warfare and Low Intensity Conflict s, the HMMWV has been pressed into service in urban combat roles it was not originally intended for. After Somolia, the military recognised a need for a more protected HMMWV and developed the M1114 , an armored HMMWV to withstand small arms fire. The M1114 has been in limited production since 1996 and had seen limited use in the Balkans before deployment to the Middle East . This design is superior to the M998 with a larger, more powerful Turbocharged engine, Air Conditioning , and a strengthened Suspension system. More importantly, it boasts a fully armored passenger area protected by hardened steel and bullet-proof glass. With the increase in direct attacks and guerrilla warfare in Iraq, AM General has diverted the majority of its manufacturing power to producing these vehicles. Modifications In response to the vulnerability of HMMWVs operating in Iraq, "Up-Armor" kits were designed and installed on M998 HMMWVs. These kits, of which there are several types and iterations, include armored doors with bullet-proof glass, side and rear armor plates, and a ballistic windshield which offer greater protection from ballistic threats and simple IEDs. Although some of these kits were available prior to the invasion of Iraq, they were not provided in great numbers to American forces in Iraq prior to the invasion. As a result of this, American soldiers and Marines often improvised extra armor with scrap materials, known as " when the vehicle is attacked with an RPG or Improvised Explosive Device . In December to reduce sway, the HMMWV has single rear wheels due to its independent rear suspension coupled with the body design. The armor on most up-armored HMMWVs holds up well against lateral attacks, when the blast is distributed in all different directions, but offers little protection from a mine blast below the truck, such as buried IED s and Land Mine s. Explosively Formed Penetrator s (EFPs) can also defeat the armor kits, causing casualties. The armor kits fielded include the Armor Survivability Kit (ASK), the FRAG 5, FRAG 6, as well as upgrade kits to the M1151.http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-3-04/up-armored-humvee.htmhttp://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/5958m-contract-for-m1151-hummers-uparmor-price-limits-02488/ The ASK was the first fielded, in October 2003, adding about 1000lbs to the weight of the vehicle.http://www.defense-update.com/products/a/ask.htm Armor Holdings fielded an even lighter kit, adding only 750lbs to the vehicle's weight.http://www.defense-update.com/products/h/humvee-kit-battelle.htm The Marine Armor Kit (MAK), fielded in January 2005, offers more protection than the M1114, but also increases weight.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/mak.htm The FRAG 5, the latest fielded armor kit, offers the greatest protection but may still be inadequate to stop EFP attacks.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/11/AR2007021101345.html The FRAG 6 kit, designed to do just that, is still in development, however its increased protection comes at a hefty price. Over 1000lbs is added to the vehicle over the FRAG 5 kit, and the width of the vehicle is increased by 2ft. In addition, the doors may require a mechanical assist device to open and close.http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,146187,00.html?wh=wh Another drawback of the uparmored HMMWVs occurs during an accident or attack, when the heavily armored doors tend to jam shut, trapping the troops inside.http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/field-lifesaver-10th-mountain-division-invents-the-rat-claw-02969/ As a result, HMMWVs are being fitted with hooks on their doors, so that another vehicle can rip the door off, freeing the troops inside. Humvee Doors Trap Troops In addition, Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) windows, developed by BAE are currently being fielded for use on the M1114 uparmored HMMWV, with 1000 kits ordered.http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/bae-invents-vee-quick-escape-bulletproof-windows-03711/ The soldier crewing the machine gun on top of the vehicle is extremely vulnerable; however, many HMMWVs have been fitted with basic gun shields, as was the case with , which slaves the machine gun to controls in the back seat to allow remote operation. Surface-to-air Missile s in display at Paris Air Show 2007]] Alternatives Some have advocated the use of relatively plentiful M113 tracked Vietnam-era Armored Personnel Carrier s for combat patrol and Convoy escort. Some have been fitted with ACAV modifications for this purpose, as they were employed in Vietnam, which posed similar security problems for convoys. Other countries in Europe and South Africa employ a number of different light armored vehicles, both tracked and wheeled, and some even built in the US by Cadillac Gage , that are designed more specifically for low intensity combat situations, and are more resistant to small arms; some trucks even have high V-hull bottoms to deflect mine blasts. In 2007, the US Marine Corps announced an intention to replace all HMMWVs in Iraq with MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) Armored Trucks because of high loss rates, and has issued contracts for the purchase of several thousand of these vehicles, which include the BAE OMC RG-31 , the BAE RG-33 , the Force Protection Cougar , and the Protected Vehicles Inc Golan Armored Vehicle . |
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