U.S. officials said the army and Marine Corps has been drafting plans to
develop a new class of tactical vehicles that could operate in such places
as Afghanistan and Iraq. They said these vehicles must be designed to
withstand large roadside and car bombs.
The new vehicle would replace the current practice of up-armoring the
Humvees in the army. Officials warn that the armoring effort was an interim
measure that sharply reduces the life of the vehicles and the army has been
developing a new Humvee, termed 1151.
About 70 percent of the injuries and deaths to U.S. military personnel
in Iraq are the result of improvised explosive devices, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said the
addition of armor on Humvees and trucks slows them down reduces visibility
and makes them more vulnerable to IED attacks.
"We are at the 98-percent point. We can't put any more armor on these
things," Marine Brig. Gen. William Catto, director of Marine Corps
Systems Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on May 5. "My
opinion is we are going to have to design a new class of vehicle from the
wheels up."
"Eventually you get to the point where the lack of observation has the
opposite effect," Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of Marine Corps Combat
Development Command, said.
The 1151 Humvee includes armor into the chassis and base plate and does
not contain armored doors. This makes the vehicle faster and more
maneuverable than the standard up-armored Humvee. Armored doors could be
installed in dangerous areas.
For the long term, the army has been developing an experimental vehicle
known as the Future Transport System. Officials said a prototype would be
completed in 2007.
Officials said the army has ordered more than 1,500 of the Humvee 1151.
They said testing was scheduled to begin by September 2005.
The army has set a requirement for add-on armor kits for the Humvees and
other vehicles at more than 13,000. Officials said the Marine Corps has
acquired underbody protection kits that provide extra protection from land
mines or bombs left on the road.
Armor Holdings produces the armor used on the vehicle. Officials said
the company has maintained a production level of 550 a month.
The Marine Corps also plans to develop a new armored Humvee.
The Defense Department has also sought to develop armored kits for
supply trucks in Iraq. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories has
developed an armor kit for 5-ton trucks. Called the "Gun Truck," the vehicle
contains sides armored with steel plates and topped with ballistic glass.
The truck carries multiple machine guns that can repel simultaneous
attacks from multiple directions. Officials said 31 such gun trucks have
been built and deployed in Iraq.
