- This article refers to the Military HMMWV, not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors
|
|
| General Characteristics (Humvee) |
| Manufacturer: | AM General |
| Length: | 4.57 to 5.13 m |
| Width: | 2.16 m |
| Height: | 1.75 to 2.59 m |
| Ground Clearance: | 0.4 m (axle), 0.6 (chasis) |
| Mass: | 3 492 - 4 535 kg |
| Speed: | 88.5 km/h |
| Range: | 440 - 540 km |
| Crew: | 2-4 men |
The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Hum-Vee) is a highly durable military motor vehicle. It has largely supplanted the role formerly served by the jeep with the United States military.
Features
It has at least 17 variants that operate as a cargo/troop carrier, small arms mount, ambulance (4 litter patients or 8 ambulatory patients), M220 TOW missile carrier, M119 howitzer prime mover, Avenger surface-to-air missile launcher, or as a S250 shelter carrier. It is capable of fording 0.762 m normally, or 1.5 meter with deep water fording kit.
Optional equipment includes a winch (max load capacity 6000lbs), and supplemental armor. The M1043/M1044 armament carriers provide mounting and firing capabilities for the MK19 automatic grenade launcher, the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, and the M60 7.62mm machine gun.
Several nations also have humvee in their military, including People's Republic of China.
Military vehicle
In the 1970s, the United States Army concluded that the militarized civilian trucks in use no longer satisfied their requirements. In 1979, the Army drafted specifications for a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV. In July of that year, AM General began preliminary design work, and less than a year later, the first prototype, the M998, was in testing.
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.
They have become the backbone of U.S. forces around the world. In the 2003 invasion of Iraq over 10,000 were used.
Usage in Iraq and political implications
A destroyed Humvee following a RPG attack The Humvee has proven very vulnerable to light infantry weapons. The doors do not typically offer bullet-proof protections, and the overall vehicle is very vulnerable to rocket propelled grenades which are common amongst the Iraqi resistance. American soldiers often have to improvise extra armor layers with scrap materials to improve the safety of the Humvee.
The Humvee has come to be a political symbol of the US occupation of Iraq and its struggle with the Resistance. In the mid-December 2004, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has come under criticism from US soldiers for not providing better equipped Humvees [1] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6694474/).
See also
External links
| 
