Fix the Aging Humvee
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  1. #1

    Cool Fix the Aging Humvee

    06-22-2004

    Iraqi Dispatches (4): Fix the Aging Humvee



    By Wayne Hommer



    The U.S. Army fielded the HMMWV (or “Humvee,” as we call it) in 1983. At that time, the Humvee represented the pinnacle of automotive technology. Over the last 21 years however, the Humvee has begun to grow long in the tooth.



    In 1991 the Army began fielding the M998A2 model, which addressed some of the concerns voiced by units after Operation Desert Storm. The A2 version of the M998 accounts for less than half of the Humvee fleet however, and despite efforts in the mid 1990’s to rebuild the aging fleet, cost ultimately precluded the proposals execution (see a related report at GlobalSecurity.org



    Since the initiation of combat operations in Iraq last year, the Humvee has been the focus of a great deal of news media attention. Predominately, that attention has been focused on the Humvee’s lack of armor and the subsequent consequences when battling an asymmetrical threat. The most common version of the Humvee, the M998A1, however, is plagued by several other shortcomings that desperately need to be addressed.



    Over the past month or so, the 1st Cavalry Division has received hundreds of M1114 “up-armored” Humvees. In addition to the M1114s, we’re also still receiving the “Add On Armor Kits.” All things being equal, we’d all rather have the M1114s. The AOA kits are a fine stopgap, and are definitely better than nothing, but there are serious deficiencies with the AOA kits and the Humvee in general that need to be addressed.



    The Humvee was designed and fielded in the early 1980s, almost 25 years ago. If you were old enough to drive in 1980, take a moment to reflect on what you were

    driving then, compared to what is available today. The Humvee is a workhorse without a doubt, but it is a workhorse that was designed for a linear battlefield.



    Humvees weren’t designed to be on point, as they are day after day here in Iraq. The nature of combat here in Iraq requires that they travel at speeds in excess of 70 mph. through the urban sprawl of Baghdad, complete with thousands of Iraqi motorists.



    While the Humvee is unsurpassed in its cross-country characteristics, its road manners need some help. The basic chassis and suspension of the Humvee are remarkable, even by today’s standards. However, when you add a couple thousand pounds of armor (AOA), and another few thousand pounds in sandbags, you are quickly going to exceed the Humvee’s capacity. The proof is in the pudding as they say, and our supply parts requisitions speak for themselves.



    Our Humvees constantly blow out tires, shocks, tie rods, and ball joints. Last week, we even saw a Humvee whose upper and lower A-Arms were quite literally rolled upward due to the weight of the vehicle. All that excess weight, and the current

    Suspension’s inability to support it, makes the Humvee a lot of fun to drive at 70 mph!



    I strongly believe that PM-LTV should immediately authorize unit-level maintenance to exchange M998 springs, shocks, and suspension components, for those of the heavier M1097s or M1114s. That would make an immediate difference to the Humvee’s performance here on the ground, until a more permanent solution can be developed.



    Just as important as the suspension is the Humvee’s lack of muscle. Most of

    our Humvees here are M998A1s, sporting the GMC 6.2 Diesel engine. This is a diesel boosting an astounding 150 horsepower at 3,600 rpm. Of course, the normal operating range of the Humvee engine is between 1,500 to 2,300 rpm. Without looking at the engine’s power curve, I’d suggest that would put the Humvee’s usable horsepower somewhere around 90 horsepower.



    But horsepower alone is a poor judge of performance. You really have to consider the power-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. Assuming a stock M998 Humvee’s curb weight is roughly 5,200 lbs, the M998A1 Humvee has a peak power to weight ratio of 33.3:1 (33 lbs. for every hp).



    In order to move the Humvee in accordance with the operational requirements of modern combat, our Humvee fleet needs to be refitted with modern diesel engines. Even the “new” 6.5L engines in the M998A2s only produce a measly 160hp at 3,500 rpm’s – an increase of only 10 hp. As a final base of reference the modern Duramax 6600 diesel engine produces 300 bhp. at 3,100rpm, while achieving 15-20 percent improved fuel economy over the 6.5L Duramax. The Duramax 6600 can most readily be found in the Chevy Silverado, a vehicle that weights 5,800 lbs. when configured in a standard cab configuration, giving the Chevy truck a power-to-weight ratio of 19:1, a marked improvement!



    The next major area that needs improvement is the transfer case. There are a lot of soldiers out there driving around in Humvees who don’t fully understand how the Humvee transfer is intended to be used. More than one transfer has suffered as a result.



    In order to shift from High to Low, or Low back to High in a Humvee, you have to actually turn off the Humvee engine, place the transmission in neutral, shift the transfer case, and then restart the Humvee. Of course, typically when you find that you need four-wheel drive, stopping is a pretty bad idea, and turning off the

    vehicle is an even worse idea. I would argue that the manual shifter should be

    retained, versus the adoption of a push-button system. It is critical that a driver be able to shift into four-wheel drive on the move.



    Of critical importance is the addition of a vehicle intercommunications system, similar to the VIC3, or LVIS system by Gentex. Communication inside of a moving Humvee has always been an issue, requiring that the truck commander yell over the engine (which just happens to sit right between the driver and TC) and road noise to communicate with the driver or gunner. At 70 mph., however, it is nearly impossible to hear the radio even with the handset to your ear, to say nothing of communicating with the driver.



    The VIC3 or LVIS systems would provide a very simple, readily available solution to a fleet wide problem. By integrating active hearing protection technology offered by an assortment of companies, a major effect of IED blasts, hearing loss, would be negated.



    Headsets are commercially available (TASC-II) that would allow the crew to be equipped with a system that could be integrated into the new ACH helmets, subsequently allowing the crew to retain their ballistic head protection and precluding the need for the crew to exchange head protection when dismounted.



    Another area of concern is the current prevalence of locally fabricated “Mad Max” gun trucks. In spite of our OTVs, SAPI Plates, and ACH Helmets, it’s a very naked feeling to man a machine gun in the open bed of a Humvee. As a result, individual units have contracted, scrounged, and procured sheet steel, and locally fabricated steel tubs, to offer their crews and gunners some protection.



    The quality of design and construction varies dramatically, from fairly well manufactured, to rolling deathtraps. As a rule, most of the steel being used is local sheet steel, 4 mm. in thickness. Most of that steel is carbon steel, which will offer very little protection from anything short of a thrown rock. Worse, if a high velocity round hits carbon steel, not only will the round penetrate, but the steel will spall, adding to the potential presented by flying projectiles.



    continued.


  2. #2
    If you’re particularly unlucky, the initial steel plating might slow down the round

    just enough to prevent it from penetrating the opposite sheet of steel, causing the round to instead ricochet around the inside of the tub until its energy is expended, or it finds a nice soft piece of human flesh to bury itself in.



    The solution is not to band the unit’s initiative by preventing them from fabricating armor tubs. The solution is to provide a standard Humvee Gun Tub for both cargo and command configurations. Until the Army Acquisition Corps can meet the requirement, units can requisition MIL SPEC (Mil-A-46100) Sheets of Armor (8 mm.) using NSN 9515-01-035-7730. By providing the local fabricators (whether they be U.S. servicemen or local nationals) with valid sheet armor, at least the steel itself can be counted on to meet the challenges presented by today’s modern high-velocity rifles.



    There are a couple of miscellaneous issues that should also be addressed with the Humvee. Whoever designed the troop seats in the troop carrier had never been off a TRADOC installation. When traveling in the back of a Humvee during combat operations, the last thing a soldier wants to do is present his or her back to the enemy. Burtek manufactures a water tank/troop seat that seats 6-8 soldiers on an integrated water tank, back to back, facing outwards). The water tank would significantly help the volume of water available to the soldiers, a critical consideration when you realize that the Army’s units are MTOEd for a temperate climate, versus the arid climate in which we’ve fought our last two major wars.



    This is purely a side note, but my unit’s S-4 told me prior to crossing the border into Iraq that our entire battalion only had enough water for 18 hours because it didn’t have enough water buffalos to transport the required quantity of water. The thought of running out of water during combat operations in the desert is not a good one.



    Another area that could be addressed is the three-speed automatic transmission

    that lacks a parking gear. The Air Force has four-speed automatic transmissions in

    all of its Humvees, so why don’t we? Army Humvees actually get driven off the golf course.



    In closure, the entire Army Humvee fleet needs to brought up to an A3 standard, if we assume the adoption of the previously mentioned modifications would create a new Humvee standard. The retrofit could be completed at the direct support level, by simply swapping out components as they fail. The failure of a major component, such as the engine, would prompt the total overhaul of the vehicle in question, resulting in an A3 retrofit.



    As our Army continues to face extended combat operations against terrorists and insurgents, soldiers need to be able to ride into battle in a vehicle worthy of their trust and confidence.



    When the Army considers the cost of upgrading its Humvee fleet, it should take time to consider the cost of each soldier it loses as a result of antiquated equipment, and the subsequent impact of that soldier’s loss when presented by an increasingly hostile news media.



    Editor’s Note: Also see


    “Iraq Dispatches (3): A Second Iraqi Summer,” DefenseWatch, June 15, 2004;



    “Iraq Dispatches (2): Boots, Helmets and Morale,” DefenseWatch, May 3, 2004;



    “Iraq Dispatches: The Road to Baghdad,” DefenseWatch, Apr. 20, 2004.



    Capt. Wayne Hommer USA is the pen name of a U.S. Army officer serving on active duty in Iraq. He can be reached by sending emails to dweditor@yahoo.com for forwarding to him in Iraq. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

    http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/c...54564935612066


    Ellie


  3. #3
    British Forces have been using Land Rovers for over 40 years, doesn't that say something
    [IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\Allan Mitchell\Desktop\XD_110_MRCV.jpg[/IMG]


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