"Shmaryahu b. Chanoch <
[email protected]>" <
[email protected]> wrote in
message news:
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>
> "Dave Welsh" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:asYKg.2485$AP2.982@fed1read10...
> : What fuel consumption rate does this monster have?
> :
> : Does it have an off road capability?
>
> Read the article, it has pictures. It is a Hummer on steroids. Fully
> armored
> off road machine. I doubt that it has good fuel consumption.
>
> But the Hummer was designed to replace commercial vehicles for logistical
> support. It was not designed as a light armored vehicle. Better to have
> an
> armored vehicle then use something like the Land Rover Defender for
> support work
> in protected territories.
The HMMWV (it's a Humvee in military use; civvies use the twee name of
Hummer for their vehicles) was designed as a replacement for the jeep, the
M718A1 ambulance, the Mule, the Gamma Goat, and the M792 ambulance
(
http://www.army.mil/fact_files_site/hmmwv/index.html). Logistical support
is a bit too narrow as a mission description; the Army fact file says that
it can be configured for troop carrier, armament carrier, S250 shelter
carrier, ambulance, TOW missile carrier, and scout vehicle missions. More
generally, C&C, mounting weapons systems, ammo/troop/cargo transport, and
ambulance duties might be the best description.
It's true that it's not an APC - it was never designed to be one. Apart from
making some design mods (defense against light bullets, fragments, and
not-too-big explosions), it really shouldn't be used in some environments.
But it would be a mistake to start using APCs or armoured cars willy-nilly;
I'd lean towards foot patrols in really dangerous urban areas instead, with
rapid response armoured cars in backup. It's been demonstrated time and time
again that buttoning up and going inside armour is not exactly what you want
a *patrol* to do - that tactic is OK when advancing to contact on a
conventional battlefield, not so fine in urban warfare.
It's worth pointing out that nobody has a problem with towed howitzer prime
movers being soft trucks, with the whole gun crew exposed like all get out.
Reason being, on a road march that's the best way to keep eyes on all
sectors, and also uncovers as many weapons as possible for counter-ambush.
Similarly, you want to do urban patrols the way the British army often did
them in Northern Ireland - on foot, or in relatively soft light trucks with
troops facing outwards (yes, they used armoured cars too, but every so often
maybe you have to).
I wouldn't exactly get all gleeful over Land Rover Defenders. Those are, in
fact, very comparable to a HMMWV. The exact same criticisms levelled at the
HMMWV have been levelled at the Defender in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact,
over a quarter of British deaths in Iraq have been during insurgent attacks
(RPG, IED etc) on unarmoured or lightly armoured Land Rovers.
AHS
)