U.S. military working on next-gen Humvee

Posted Mon Mar 24 2008 5:15 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

The current M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee for short), the truck that spawned the Hummer H1, has been in use by the military for more than 20 years, but a successor could be just around the corner. Earlier this month military officials issued a ‘Request for Proposals’ to suppliers, soliciting concepts for what it calls a new Joint Light Tactical family of Vehicles (JLTVs).

The new model will replace the Hummvee and will come with no less than 10 variations. Seven firms are now working on the design of the new truck, with first proposals due by the middle of next month, reports MotorTrend. From this, the firms will be shortlisted to just three finalists, who will then have to prepare seven variants of the JLTV family in three different weight classes. After 15 months of development and a year of testing, a final design will be picked.

Pictured above is the JLTV PDQ from BAE Systems, the military’s third-largest contractor. Developed in conjunction with truck manufacturer International and its Navistar Defense division, the PDQ relies on a number of off-the-shelf components and is a clear favorite to win the contract. It features a V-shaped body designed to deflect mine blasts away from the vehicle, a concealed driveshaft, adjustable suspension and inch thick armor plating.

Reader Comments

Mon Mar 24 2008 6:30 PM
Gus says

And in 10 years, you'll see the "JillTivvie 2" with dub-2 rims, slammed and bassed out, yo.
Mon Mar 24 2008 6:48 PM
HECTOR says

LOL Gus!

Also watch celebrities - probably starting with Schwarzenegger - buying one and then lecturing you on global warming and how you have to walk to work more often.
Mon Mar 24 2008 7:31 PM
Sir Yappie says

hahaha

the need for investment in more tools for warfare is laughable.....what is currently available is more than sufficient...but the US government will attempt to bleed the taxpayers once again and then try and drag the rest of us into their oilploitation excercises.

This willl be another urban behemoth that will eb developed from the army again "coz it is gangsta aiiiight"
Mon Mar 24 2008 9:34 PM
Stoneman says

Hey look, it's a Pontiac Aztek that's been beautified! That pontiac front end is a dead giveaway.
Mon Mar 24 2008 10:25 PM
Gus says

In all seriousness, our troops deserve the latest and the best, regardless of how you feel about America, the war, or oil...
Tue Mar 25 2008 4:25 AM
HECTOR says

Hear hear. God bless our troops.
Tue Mar 25 2008 9:08 AM
SuperSkyline89 says

I've seen shows on Discovery Channel about the Iraq war and the current weapons they're using there. And I agree that this is needed. The Humvees have flat bottoms which are very vulnerable to IEDs. The V-shaped bottom will save countless lives, and that's worth much more than money.
Tue Mar 25 2008 9:10 AM
Nick says

Well let's hope that the next generation one isn't crap like this one is. Not only does the current humvee have practically no armor protection but the stupid air vent in the front makes it a lovely target for heat-seeking missiles. We should have replaced these a long time ago, but apparently the military doesn't care about our troops' safety.
Tue Mar 25 2008 10:45 AM
raptor says

I'll buy one if it comes with mounted .50 cal as standard. It could be useful on many occasions.
Tue Mar 25 2008 5:35 PM
Sir Yappie says

"In all seriousness, our troops deserve the latest and the best, regardless of how you feel about America, the war, or oilâ€¦"

True...the safety of your fellow countrymen should be paramount, and i want it known this is nothing against the men and women risking their lives, but the powers that be that believe its a good idea to do so !

....i just dont want the Urban warrior version of this thrust down our throats as a good idea down the track...We are just getting the H3 here in Oz and its just too big, and in all honesty makes the driver look like an absolute tool !
Wed Mar 26 2008 4:06 PM
Gus says

Don't worry, drivers of the H3 look like tools here as well, hence my first comment...
Wed Mar 26 2008 5:58 PM
Sir Yappie says

but gus people still buy them .... WHY ??

I mean who is really at fault here.....the car company that makes such hideous monstrosities for consumers.....or the people who stump up the cash for them ???
As long as there are enough idiots out there who buy the cars the companies will keep making them...

We refer to these cars also as "sh*t boxes"...hahaha
Wed May 21 2008 1:30 PM
Joker says

ok i agree with all of you this new vehical would help deflect ied's and the h1 is a sitting duck for a heat seeker and well this topic hits home my brother just got back from iraq and well his hummer got hit by an ied and its nothing more than a soda can now so yeah we need more armor for our troops and we need more brave souls like them theres to many cowards in the world today that only want money and arnt willing to go and fight for the right to want just money i mean damn men and women alike lay thers lives down every day for us civilians to bitch and gripe about how shit sucks and what do we do in return say they get paid to much bull shit they dont get paid enough for makeing the ultimate sacrifice. and thats the opinion of a 17yrold whos 19yrold brothers been through iraq and walk away from it only mentally changed
Tue Aug 26 2008 12:44 PM
carl says

The hmmwv isn't a mine resistent vehicle. Thanks to the JLTV's high center of gravity, it's unlikely to be anywhere near as mobile as the hmmwv. It just doesn't sound much like a replacement. They are two completely different vehicles. Are we really going to end production of hmmwv's? I guess we've got enough of em, but should we really consider this a replacement?

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