The Humvee is a military vehicle manufactured by AM General. It replaced the Army’s older M151 Jeeps and is often called a half-ton truck or a deuce and a half because it weighs 2.5 tons.

It was a great vehicle for speeding across deserts and climbing mountains during conventional warfare. But when it was sent into the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan, its aluminum body became a sitting duck for roadside improvised explosive devices. Click the Humvee For Sale to learn more.

Since its debut in the 1989 invasion of Panama, the Humvee has seen action in nearly every corner of the planet. It’s rolled off the assembly line and into combat for the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, but it’s also been the vehicle of choice for logistics and support units that don’t require the four-wheel drive truck’s off-road capabilities.

AM General engineers started working on a new vehicle in 1979 that they hoped would replace the quarter-ton M151 Jeep and other light military vehicles. The Army liked what they saw and gave AM General a contract to build prototypes for testing. The winning design was dubbed the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), but it would later be known by its more colloquial name: Humvee.

The Humvee was the first military vehicle designed specifically to carry troops. It was taller than other vehicles, but not so tall that it became too top heavy. Having a lower undercarriage also allowed the Humvee to ride higher on the road, which reduced wind resistance and made it more maneuverable. It’s also designed to be dropped from an airplane, with loops around its frame that can attach to parachute straps.

Throughout the years, the Army has modified Humvees to meet changing threats. They’ve been fortified against mortar fire and improvised explosive devices, and armored to provide protection and reduce the chances of a deadly blast. HMMWVs have also been converted to ambulances and used to transport equipment and supplies.

In 2018, the Army and Marine Corps began replacing the Humvee with a lighter vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV. The JLTV is much faster, has a mine-resistant hull and more cargo space. However, the military will probably continue to keep a fleet of Humvees for a while to come as an insurance policy against any unexpected changes in warfare.

The military version of the Humvee is still produced by AM General, which has also sold the Hummer brand name to Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong for civilian production. The Humvee’s unique designs and performance capabilities, though, will remain owned by AM General.

The Humvee’s Design

Since the 1980s, the Humvee (also known as the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or HMMWV) has been a staple of military life. A quick search of DVIDS, the military’s media archive, will turn up images and videos of the Humvee in action on nearly every patch of dry land on Earth.

The HMMWV is designed to be a versatile vehicle that can perform many different roles, from troop transport to cargo hauler to ambulance service to command and control vehicle. Its four-wheel drive and high ground clearance allow it to traverse rough terrain with ease, and its aluminum body helps keep weight down.

With its ability to be modified, the Humvee is a very useful military vehicle. It can be armed with a variety of weapons, including the Browning M2HB.50 caliber heavy machine gun, the Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher and the BGM-71 TOW antitank missile system. It can also be outfitted with communications equipment, cameras and lights to assist in surveillance or patrolling.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan progressed, it became clear that the Humvee was not up to the task of protecting soldiers from roadside improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. While bolting on armor and bulletproof windows could give a semblance of protection, it also added weight that made the vehicles slow, clumsy and prone to rollover accidents. It also put a strain on the engine, transmission and drivetrain that led to a rash of mechanical failures.

In order to improve the Humvee’s survivability, it was decided that a new vehicle was needed. The JLTV, or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, was developed to be more advanced than the Humvee. In January, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Drum began receiving their first 500 JLTV vehicles.

In addition to the JLTV, the Army is also developing a hybrid-electric version of the Humvee called the HUMVEE Charge. The EV will use Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) electric vehicle components to reduce costs and improve performance. The EV will utilize both the conventional internal combustion engine and an electric motor to drive the wheels, allowing it to achieve greater speed and agility than the standard HMMWV while reducing fuel consumption.

The Humvee’s Performance

The Humvee is a military vehicle that can take on nearly any terrain, making it a popular choice for both soldiers and civilians. The vehicle comes with many customization options, and its rugged reliability makes it a great choice for both off-road missions and city streets. Its distinctive appearance has earned it a cult following, with the vehicles often featured in popular media.

Known officially as the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV, the Humvee is a versatile light tactical military vehicle used by all branches of the US Military. A certified jack-of-all-trades, the vehicle can be configured to serve as a troop transport, cargo carrier, field ambulance, and more. It also features state-of-the-art communication systems to keep troops connected, even in the most hostile environments.

Its reputation as a true military workhorse is well-earned, with the HMMWV having served in every corner of the world. Its off-road prowess is unmatched, allowing the vehicle to conquer everything from deserts to jungles with ease. Several customization options allow the Humvee to be tailored to specific terrain types, with features such as sand filters preventing engine damage in desert environments and mud flaps keeping the vehicle clean in muddy conditions.

With the onset of the IED threat in Iraq, the military began looking for ways to improve the Humvee’s armor protection. Several initiatives were undertaken, including adding armour kits to existing vehicles. Unfortunately, the resulting Humvees were not able to fully counteract the IEDs, and the military eventually replaced its fleet with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

While the JLTV may be better at some things than the Humvee, it is important to note that it is not a like-for-like replacement. Rather, the JLTV is intended to complement the Humvee’s off-road capabilities with the MRAP’s unrivalled protection against IEDs. Currently, three companies are competing for the lucrative JLTV contract, with Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defense, and original Humvee manufacturer AM General all seeking to win the bidding process. However, the Humvee will remain in service for some time to come, with its unique off-road performance and unrivalled protection still a valuable asset for the military.

The Humvee’s Future

When the Army first sent Humvees into combat in 1991, it was clear that it had a hit on its hands. The military’s new truck crushed miles of desert with ease and the civilian world couldn’t get enough of its cool look. As the War on Terror continued, it became apparent that the vehicle had to change with the threats.

While the Humvee’s original unarmored design did well during the Desert Storm, the improvised explosive devices that plagued Iraq War troops were doing significant damage to frontline vehicles. The Defense Department hastily up-armored select models, but this weighed down the Humvee and made it less maneuverable.

The Army also found that the vehicle was consuming a massive amount of fuel. In 2022 alone, the Department of Defense spent $10.3 billion on bulk diesel fuel, which was more than twice as much as the second-highest consuming government agency—the U.S. Postal Service. Changing the engine to make the Humvees more efficient would help reduce that huge waste.

Despite these challenges, the Humvee is still a vital part of the military. The Army plans to keep the Humvee fleet in service through 2048, and the military’s leaders are working to find a balance between prioritizing the vehicles of tomorrow and maintaining the critical vehicles of today.

The Humvee’s successor—the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle or JLTV—is currently undergoing testing. The program’s goal is to merge the HMMWV’s off-road performance with the MRAP’s protection against IEDs. Three companies—Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defense, and the Humvee’s original manufacturer, AM General—are competing for a contract to produce JLTVs.

If AM General wins the contract, it will continue to produce Humvees for decades to come. The company recently named former Army veteran Bruce Cannon as its new CEO, a move that signals its commitment to the Humvee’s future. The upcoming JLTV will likely replace many of the hundreds of thousands of aging Humvees currently in use, but AM General has been making sure that the trucks it produces now are ready for whatever the future holds. In fact, the company will even offer a few JLTV conversion packages that can turn Humvees into armored scout cars or command and control vehicles.