The Humvee, or HMMWV as the military calls it, conquers mud, sand, rock, snow, and ice. It’s been dangled from helicopters, pulled trailers down highways, and jumped continents in transport aircraft.

The military needed more protection after a few years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Armor was added, but the extra weight slowed performance and caused mechanical failures. Click the Street Legal Humvee For Sale to learn more.

The military’s most versatile vehicle, the Humvee, is a go-to for many jobs, whether it’s an open-topped scout, an armored personnel carrier, an ambulance, a TOW missile launcher, or a communications center. It can even serve as a heavy offensive platform, and it has been spotted everywhere from the desert to the snow.

The story of the Humvee began in 1979, when the Army issued a request for proposals to replace its aging jeeps. The agency wanted a new tactical vehicle that could whisk soldiers across vast expanses of desert and handle a range of other missions. AM General, the company that made military jeeps for the Army and commercial vehicles under the AMC brand, submitted 11 prototypes of what would become the HMMWV (High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle), or more colloquially known as the Humvee.

In the years that followed, the HMMWV proved unstoppable and played a vital role in U.S. military operations around the world. The trucks were so successful that AM General decided to sell them to civilians under the brand name of Hummer. The company’s decision allowed nonmilitary personnel to experience the incredible off-road abilities of a rugged ex-military vehicle.

Civilian Hummers shared the same components as their military counterparts, including brakes, axles and the frame. They also came off the same assembly line, and were only separated for paint and finishing. This helped reduce costs and increase efficiency, which is something that’s still true today.

Although the military is slowly replacing its fleet of Humvees with the more advanced Oshkosh J-LTV, the Humvee will probably continue to have an impact on warfare and pop culture for a long time to come. The truck is a cherished icon for both the American people and fans of movies, video games and other popular culture. It’s no wonder that the Humvee has become a symbol of military power, dominance and indestructibility.

The Humvee is a truly remarkable vehicle that has left an indelible mark on the world. It’s no surprise that it has also become a symbol of power and masculinity, earning the nickname “the big ugly jeep” and inspiring an entire line of recreational vehicles for males. Miles Fiberglass is proud to have serviced many Humvees over the years, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for this remarkable machine.

The Humvee’s design

The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the Humvee, has been the military’s go-anywhere light utility vehicle since 1984. It’s been deployed in operations worldwide and spawned the Hummer civilian brand, but as the United States shifts gears into urban warfare it is proving less and less well-suited to its intended role. Fortunately, its maker, AM General, thinks the hardcore off-roader has plenty of life left in it.

The original HMMWV was designed as an all-purpose workhorse to replace the army’s fleet of old Jeeps. It’s a 4×4 with a steel frame and bonded aluminum panels that can easily be modified to suit different roles. It can carry soldiers and equipment or be fitted with a variety of weapons and a remote weapon station, but it’s also the right size to be sling-loaded from helicopters or dropped by Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System without an aircraft having to land. It can fit three in a C-130 Hercules and 15 in a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transport aircraft.

It’s also designed to be a tough vehicle that can withstand everything from intense heat and freezing cold to rough terrain and IEDs. Even the original, unarmored versions of the Humvee were a significant improvement over the old Jeeps they replaced. But the HMMWV’s biggest shortcoming is that it was never really designed for front line combat. In fact, it is quite ill-suited for the kind of insurgency-style attacks that are responsible for many American casualties.

But with several programmes advancing unmanned ground vehicle technology, the Humvee could see a 21st century re-birth as a self-driving platform. In this scenario, it would be a powerful scout vehicle at the front of an advance, tracking and identifying threats before they can hurt troops.

For now, however, the Humvee is being phased out by the more-aggressive Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The JLTV features better armor and a mine resistant hull and can pack up to six troops with their gear in one trip. That should help reduce the number of casualties on the battlefield. And it will be more than a match for the Russian-built Uranus heavy tanks that the United States has scouted for possible future use against Russia.

The Humvee’s history

As the military’s workhorse of choice, the Humvee has traversed dozens of battlefields since it burst into the limelight during the 1989 invasion of Panama and the Gulf War in the 1990s. The vehicles gained notoriety as a symbol of American military might in war documentaries and news footage, and they became the face of America’s foreign policy.

The jack of all trades tactical vehicle was developed in the 1980s by AM General Corporation and the Army to serve as a versatile troop transport, cargo carrier, ambulance service, and command and control vehicle. It can also be configured for specialized roles like airfield security and medical evacuation, firefighting, and close-quarters combat.

The first Humvees went into production in 1984, and they continue to be produced at a rate of more than 25,000 per year. They have been deployed across the world and served in a variety of conflicts and peace-keeping missions.

Over the years, they have morphed into different versions to meet evolving needs. In addition to their off-road abilities, they can be sling-loaded by helicopter and delivered from high-flying aircraft without needing to land. They can fit three in a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and 15 in a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy airlifter.

As threats evolved from the anticipated fast-paced movements of Cold War combat to insurgencies in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Humvee has changed along with them. It has been a hot-rodded Jeep when soldiers needed an off-roader, and it has served as an armored outpost when they’ve needed shelter.

In the early 2000s, when the war in Afghanistan shifted to urban environments, it became clear that the Humvee had some shortcomings in keeping soldiers safe from new threats. They were never designed to provide significant protection against small arms fire or improvised explosive devices, and adding armour added weight that reduced performance.

To address these issues, the Army’s engineers began to retrofit Humvees with more effective armour. These vehicles are now being replaced by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). It is lighter, faster, and more maneuverable than the Humvee, and it has been designed with safety in mind.

The Humvee’s future

Since 1983, the Humvee has conquered sand, rocks, snow and desert. It’s ducked under the wings of Chinooks and ridden inside the belly of transport aircraft. It’s evaded detection in the desert and pulled trailers down the highway. And, in recent years, the funny-looking 4×4 has become a familiar sight in urban environments as service members patrolled cities like Ramadi and Fallujah.

The Humvee’s future isn’t necessarily doomed, but it might not have as much life left in it as once seemed possible. The Army is hanging on to a lot of Humvees, even though it’s modernizing its fleet with JLTVs and other vehicles. In fact, the military may keep a large number of Humvees as an insurance policy for any future fight, according to service leaders.

For one thing, the Humvee is a lot cheaper than other vehicles, and it’s also a lot more survivable. The JLTV has a better engine and transmission, but even that isn’t enough to guarantee it’ll survive the next big fight.

Moreover, the JLTV isn’t as well suited to the kinds of threats that the military encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, roadside bombs were a major problem for the Humvee, and they remain a significant threat today. Uparmored Humvees can withstand some bomb blasts, but the shock from an explosion still gets transmitted directly to the passengers. The JLTV and other new vehicles are designed to redirect the shock away from the cabin, protecting service members inside.

That’s why it’s good to see AM General, which lost out on the contract for the next-generation Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to Oshkosh Defense in 2015, continue to push for changes that will help the Humvee live on. It’s pursuing vehicle electrification, autonomous technologies and other improvements that align with the military’s current modernization needs. It’s a smart strategy, and it could prove to be the right move for both the company and the military. After all, the military’s stuttering administrative process has managed to delay mandatory retirement for the Humvee just as it has for the A-10, another venerable old-timer that refuses to retire.