U.S. Army Introduces HMMWV for the 21st Century

Retrofit Add-On Kits Will Modernize Army's Existing HMMWV Fleet

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- The United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC) National Automotive Center (NAC) and the Program Executive Officer, Combat Support/Combat Service Support (PEO CS/CSS), in conjunction with Carlson Technologies, today unveiled a Concept HMMWV with rapid engine change-out system at the 2004 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., October 25- 27, 2004 (Booth 3201). The Concept HMMWV Team's goal is to reduce engine change to the absolute minimum. The rapid engine change-out system reduces a process which once took up to ten hours less than 20 minutes to complete.

"The desert front line is a hostile environment," explained Brigadier General Patrick J. O'Reilly, PEO CS/CSS, United States Army. "Our Soldiers need the best vehicle technology available to complete their mission. Putting our Soldiers back in action in a matter of minutes -- not hours -- makes this Retrofit Concept HMMWV ideal for enemy conflict scenarios. This truly is a major advance for Army vehicle technology systems."

"The Concept HMMWV Team has streamlined the engine change-out process by simplifying mechanical training and reducing -- and in some cases eliminating -- the amount of tools to administer several steps in the process," said Dennis J. Wend, executive director of the NAC. "This system will also guide design teams to needed modifications for integration into future vehicles."

The NAC and Carlson Technologies designed this vehicle to enhance the traditional HMMWV platform that the Army has been utilizing for over 20 years to take into consideration 21st Century Army field scenarios. As Soldier and battle mission requirements have changed, this Concept HMMWV demonstrates extended range, increased soldier space and a number of other key features to help achieve mission success.

"This concept vehicle demonstrates how various 'kits', which each address specific emerging needs, can be implemented on existing vehicles," said Wend. "As a result, these vehicles will generate more power to support added armor protection, will run on cleaner engines and have better fuel economy."

Extended Range

The Army's goal is to have a "common range" for all trucks. The Future Tactical Truck System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations ACTD, for example, has a 600-mile range, with an objective of 900 miles. With the addition of two 25-gallon saddle tanks in the rear wheel wells and a 35-gallon main tank, the Concept HMMWV would have a range of 900 miles. Fuel efficiency improvements could extend that to 1,000 miles. Moving forward, the NAC plans to fabricate the HMMWV fuel tanks to perform an "extended run" in order to assess the full capacity of this extended range.

Soldier Space

Structural changes and new materials provide more room for Soldiers and their gear. The Concept HMMWV demonstrates a body rework kit that increases the space so as to accommodate the larger Soldier range (over 6'5") to sit in front or rear and perform a 72-hour mission. New "web type" seats allow more head and legroom and will accommodate the Soldier wearing body armor. Moving forward, the NAC plans to develop common seats to reduce the logistics of spare parts, and simplified attachment, making under seat access easier and quicker. In conjunction with the increased space, all soldiers will be safer as they find access and egress quicker and drive time fatigue reduced.

Micro-Climate Cooling

The Concept HMMWV demonstrates liquid cooled garments developed by NASA used with a cooling package based on the NASCAR system. The ability to reduce body temperature should provide more comfort to our Soldiers both inside and outside the vehicle. Moving forward, the NAC plans to develop an electrically-driven integrated refrigeration package to enable this system to operate in an environment where ice is unavailable. This would enable deployment for any mission that may require the soldier to operate in a harsh, hot environment.

Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)

A 5 to 10 kW APU is integrated into the Concept HMMWV, allowing major systems to operate (radio/micro-climate cooling/computer) without running the engine. The APU can also be used to power transmitters and other small devices that require electricity. Moving forward, the NAC plans to continue APU development and field trials to assess other pressing power and energy requirements.

Beltless Engine

Many components in the Concept HMMWV will be electrically driven including cooling fans, power steering, water and fuel pumps, micro-climate cooling and the Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS). This concept is enabled by the use of an Integrated Starter/Alternator, which provides 15-20 kW of power. Moving forward, the NAC plans to develop all electrically-driven components for rapid maintenance, higher reliability and ease of replacement. Many of these devices enable connection via wire, effectively de-coupling them from the engine change process. In addition, the use of an integrated starter alternator eliminates the corresponding devices from the vehicle, which also contributes to complexity reduction.

Soldier Safety and Protection

The Concept HMMWV incorporates the following features to improve Soldier safety: 5-point shoulder/lap belts, digital dashboard, integrated Commander's computer, heads-up display in the rear seats and an anti-collision system. For increased Soldier protection, the vehicle integrates armor in locations that will protect vital organs of the Soldier as well as his or her vehicle. Moving forward, the NAC plans to develop an individual safety package that can be incorporated into each HMMWV in a fleet. In addition, TARDEC and the NAC will research new ballistic material to integrate into future vehicles for increased Soldier protection.

TARDEC is responsible for developing and maintaining vehicles for all U.S. Armed Forces, many federal agencies and more than 60 foreign countries. TARDEC's National Automotive Center is the Army's official link to commercial industry, academia and government in developing new dual-use automotive technologies that meet the needs of both the defense and commercial industries. Together, they lead the way in providing our Soldiers with vehicles and vehicle technologies that will increase survivability and ensure mobility on the battlefield while reducing design, manufacturing, operations and maintenance costs.

Under the direction of Mr. Dennis J. Wend, the NAC is U.S. Army TARDEC's technology transfer arm and part of the new Research Development Engineering Command based in Aberdeen, MD.