The US Army has awarded a new contract to global vehicle solutions provider AM General for the recapitalisation of the service’s high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV).
Through the $51.3m contract, AM General will work under its longstanding public private partnership (PPP) programme with the Red River Army Depot (RRAD) to supply mission-capable M1152 and M1165 HMMWV variants to the US Army.
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AM General US Defense executive vice-president Chris Vanslager said: “We recognise the value of a modernised vehicle fleet for the US Army and this contract award is a testament to our commitment for continued innovation and vehicle system improvements to ensure mission readiness for our service men and women.
“The HMMWV platform is incredibly nimble and adaptable; over the life of the programme, it has received a multitude of improvements.”
Under the current programme, select vehicles from the existing US National Guard assets will be disassembled at RRAD, put through a rigorous initial inspection and will be upgraded in compliance with the recapitalisation requirements.
The recapitalised vehicle bodies will then be transported to the company’s Mishawaka manufacturing facility, where they will be connected to a new production rolling chassis.
The resulting product will be a modernised variant of HMMWV and will feature automotive improvements, including significant increase in overall vehicle reliability, enhanced steering geometry for manoeuvrability, and increased-capacity 4L85E transmission.
The upgraded vehicle will also feature an improved front-mounted heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a new antilock braking system and electronic stability control, as well as an improved powertrain cooling system.
In August last year, AM General secured a $2.2bn five-year, firm fixed price foreign military sale (FMS) requirements contract to produce and supply up to 11,560 new HMMWVs to the US Army Contracting Command.
Also known as Humvee, HMMWV is a tactical vehicle designed and manufactured to replace the US Army’s current tactical vehicles in the 0.25t to 1.25t range.
