"Sold by a military Humvee in green or yellow paint. Great for towing cargo, artillery and soldiers. Can wade across rivers, overcome sand dunes and jump over rocks. Not recommended for urban combat or mined roads. Starting at $ 7,500."
After a legendary career that began with the invasion of Panama in 1989, continued in the Persian Gulf in 1991, then in Bosnia and ended in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, the fleet of American multi-purpose Humvee vehicles is entering an uncertain future, cars are sold at auctions in dozens. This car is an icon of the American military, it replaced the Jeep jeep and spawned a civilian brother with an exorbitant appetite, which became a symbol of the American ego and extravagance.
But now the army wants a cooler, more agile vehicle, light enough to be transported by helicopter and strong enough to withstand powerful explosions.
Three large defense companies are competing for one very important, large and fat contract, which the army planned to issue a few years ago. The $ 30 billion Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program plans to produce 55,000 vehicles that should debut and ultimately become some of the most outstanding vehicles of our time.
Wars are often measured by statistics: battles won and lost, our and their losses, cities plundered, territories captured and lost, etc. But they are also defined by their weapons - just as the roar of the Sherman tank was the soundtrack of World War II, so the noise of the blades of the American Iroquois multi-purpose helicopter was the characteristic sound of Vietnam.
And now comes a new candidate for the symphonic mess of the Next War - a mad scientist pairing a jeep with a tank. After ten years of development, the Pentagon is ready to showcase a JLTV vehicle built for frontline combat and transportation of supplies in the rear.
JLTV will be another branch of the family tree from which Jeep and Humvee have already grown, serving with distinction in many parts of the world, from the Ardennes forests in France to the sands of Iraq. From both cars spun off commercial offshoots that quickly integrated into the cultural consciousness of Americans.
The Humvee came to the commercial market in large part thanks to the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wanted a powerful commando car for personal use and convinced the manufacturer, AM General, to make a civilian version.
“Take a look at these deltoid muscles, look at these calves,” he repeated more than once, looking with loving eyes at the Humvee.
Over time, the American public also fell in love with his muscular form. Pop stars and sports stars, celebrities snapped up these cars like hot cakes.
But while the Jeep is considered a symbol of daring yet reliable endurance, the Hummer, on the other hand, has been derided for its size and exorbitant appetite since its commercial launch. Environmentalists strongly resented this and even burned one dealership in California.
Production was phased out and the last new Hummer was sold in 2010, ten years after General Motors bought the brand.
Automotive industry experts noted that “it all looked superficial and frivolous and ultimately led to his demise. It's not cool to have a car that gobbles up a gallon for 10 miles (a liter for 4 km)."
The Humvee made its military debut in the 1980s, served in the Gulf War and, according to one military analyst, "soon became an ubiquitous symbol of the American military."
For more than 30 years, AM General has manufactured over 300,000 Humvees for 60 countries. Hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts have recently been awarded to foreign countries including Afghanistan, Kenya and Mexico.
The United States has over 160,000 of these machines on its books. In addition to Humvees serving overseas, these vehicles are also in service with the National Guard and take part in the tasks of eliminating the consequences of natural disasters.
“It sends a very strong signal to citizens when they see soldiers arriving in Humvees … then help has come,” says one senior National Guard officer.
In Iraq, the vulnerability of the Humvee also became a symbol of a sloppy operation, when the military and command were not prepared for prolonged hard work, and the rebels completely eroded traditional front lines.
As the conflict continued, the military simply worn out tanks and other armored vehicles, after which they had to rely on Humvees for combat patrols, and these vehicles were not designed for this.
The enemy increasingly began to use hidden directional landmines, as a result of the loss of the American contingent, they grew, especially in those units that moved in unprotected Humvees. The soldiers used what they called "village defenses" to fortify their vehicles, finding suitable pieces of iron from scrap dumps and screwing them onto their Humvees.
In one of the divisions, Humvees were called "Rocinantes", as Don Quixote's horse - a symbol of antediluvianness.
In 2004, a Tennessee National Guard soldier questioned Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield about this, telling him bluntly that "our vehicles have no protection."
“We are digging up garbage heaps from rusted pieces of iron and sorting out discarded bullet-proof glass with traces of bullets and shrapnel. We select all this, "he said," we choose what is better, we put it on our cars and go to fight on them."
Rumsfield responded with the now famous phrase: "You are going to war with the army that you have."
The Pentagon then quickly began booking Humvees and purchasing thousands of heavily armored vehicles of the MRAP category (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected - with increased protection against mines and improvised explosive devices). But even with these tasks, there was already planning a next-generation vehicle, now known as the JLTV.
It was supposed to be as mobile as an unarmored Humvee, a powerful SUV capable of withstanding the same blast as an MRAP while towing a heavy load.
The project caught the attention of three defense giants, one of which was supposed to be awarded a contract this summer. AM General made Humvees, Oshkosh made MRAPs and Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor.
Lockheed is primarily known for its aerospace business, making the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. However, the Maryland-based company was invited to the program because “it was seen as a particularly interesting engineering proposal,” said the vice president of the ground vehicles division. "The goal here is to take the capabilities of different machines and combine them into a much smaller system."
The new vehicles, which the Marine Corps will purchase in much smaller quantities, will not completely replace the Humvees, which will remain in service for several more years. But many machines need repairs after years of hard work. As part of contracts with the Pentagon, about 50 Humvees are sold every week at auctions. And 75 percent of the proceeds goes to the Department of Defense.
The buyers are mostly ranchers and farmers, collectors and enthusiasts who want their own piece of history.
“The demand is very high. At some auctions, 10-12 applicants are fighting, naturally, the price of a car rises significantly,”said one of the leaders of the auction site.
A college student in Maryland recently bought a $ 10,000 car. He tinkers with it in his father's garage and occasionally rolls around the surrounding hills around the farm.
“It's perfect for forest trails,” the student says, sighing heavily. - It is a pity that everything will be limited to them, because on the roads it is outlawed.
