End of the HUMVEE

[WoodiE]

Oshkosh Defense won a major contract to build the ground vehicle that could become a symbol of the U.S. Army for a generation and will eventually replace the Pentagon’s storied but aging fleet of Humvees, the Army announced Tuesday...

Oshkosh Defense wins major Pentagon contract to build Humvee replacement

 

[Rolex]

I've been following this for quite some time. It's a $400,000 ... yes, four hundred thousand dollar... ugly truck. Trucks that big can not do everything the Humm Vee could, so I'm sure those beautiful H1s will be around for quite some time.

 

[Greyryder]

I just need a street legal version.

"Do you feel lucky, Prius? Well, do ya!?"

 

[SMaxxin]

I've been following this for quite some time. It's a $400,000 ... yes, four hundred thousand dollar... ugly truck. Trucks that big can not do everything the Humm Vee could, so I'm sure those beautiful H1s will be around for quite some time.

That seems to be what our government likes.....cost more but not as capable

 

[wacmartin]

That's a big step from baby clothes to military vehicles!

I kid, I kid!

 

[Rolex]

That seems to be what our government likes.....cost more but not as capable

Yup. If it's over sized, overbuilt, over engineered and over priced, it MUST be what our government needs.

 

[hamz9561]

But it has an environmentally-friendly hybrid option.....

 

[WoodiE]

I'm a huge fan of the HUMVEE vehicles, the real HUMVEE not those silly models GM put out like the H2 and H3. But I didn't think this new JLTV looked all that bad.

What is it that you guys don't like about it?

 

[Rolex]

It's a BIG, UGLY TRUCK! Reminds me of the homely International Harvester trucks from the 60s.
It's just WAY too big to be practical in most situations.
400,000? FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND? Is that with or without air conditioning and indoor plumbing?

 

[SMaxxin]

I've seen military H1's in action and they are incredible! I actually got to take my old 82 Yota 4x4 in some of the same places they train in Fort polk, the Yota had 35's on it and couldn't even come close to going where those things went. When you see one doing 30-40 mph through the woods running over small trees and climbing what seemed impossible it is impressive....I don't think the JLTV would keep up with an H1 in those types of places.

 

[ninnon]

An armoured land rover is the way to go, cheap, expendable, fast, and well armoured.

But it has an environmentally-friendly hybrid option.....

Who says a 6.5L V8 can't be economical

 

[SchrodeMode]

The Humvee is and will always be and amazing vehicle, it's been off-road porn for many people, but they aren't practical for combat ops any more. They will not survive an IED, that's where the new vehicles come in. The personnel portion has a V-shaped armored hull that deflects the blast, the Humvee's flat bottom just took the full force and then transferred it to the occupants. They tried modifying the Humvees to make them more IED resistant, the last I saw was a chimney type thing. It went from the bottom and through the roof, it was supposed to allow the blast to go through it instead of directly into the cab. I've never seen it on an actual military Humvee though, only online and a few years ago.

The first MRAPs were built to be used in Iraq, a country with somewhat decent roads and terrain that could support their weight and size (almost 38K lbs curb wt). Then we decided to bring them into Afghanistan, which, some of you may know, has completely different terrain. They were getting stuck, hard to maneuver, and if you were really unlucky, the mountain side road you were on would give out and cause your vehicle to roll down the mountain (videos of this are on YouTube).

They then got the M-ATV for use in Afghanistan, much lighter and more maneuverable (27.5K lbs curb wt). It's also designed for a more off-road type use, the lighter weight helps but the 16" of wheel travel also allows it to get over obstacles that the MRAP couldn't.

Now I guess some politicians needed some extra cash, so we get the L-ATV. I haven't driven the M-ATV, so I don't know if they're having issues or not. I do know that we've been in combat and non-combat ops in all different terrain around the world and our vehicles are getting beat up and worn out. I'm sure units who'll actually use them don't mind new vehicles, as long as any input/suggestions that they may have up channeled were at least considered. They have a 14K lbs curb wt, and 20" of wheel travel, I believe they also include a FREE 12 month On-Start subscription (I'm not 100% sure on this though).

 

[hamz9561]

They also did a lot of talking about the Hummer when it first entered service as compared to the 1/4 ton it replaced. The engine is built by Gale Banks and is based on the current gen Duramax diesel with hybrid capability. If they build an ambulance kit for the JLTV, it will be air-conditioned and over-pressurized like its predecessors the HUMMWV and CUCV ambulances.

 

[SchrodeMode]

They also did a lot of talking about the Hummer when it first entered service as compared to the 1/4 ton it replaced.

Way before my time.
I'm willing to bet @Rolex was upset when the ARMY first used trucks, the GMC Model 15, back in 1916.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

I must be in the minority here because I really like them.

 

[hamz9561]

I really like them as well, @alpinehyperlite. I drove them in the Army and had a blast. You can now buy them for off-road use only from the government as surplus starting at about $5,000 for one in running condition.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

I'm talking about the new ones. They seem must have safer than the hum-vee.

 

[hamz9561]

Oshkosh, who supplies them and the M-RAP, basically gave it the mine protection of the M-RAP and the ability to be transported by the Chinook. It's not bad looking either, IMO.