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More new Humvees, armoring kits are making their way to Iraq
Stars & Stripes ^ | Jan. 29, 2004 | Lisa Burgess

Posted on 01/29/2004 4:20:56 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl


Thursday, January 29, 2004
More new Humvees, armoring kits are making their way to Iraq


By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, January 29, 2004

ARLINGTON, Va. — With funding secured and contracting processes completed, the Army is starting to move ever-larger quantities of both armoring kits and newly built armored Humvees into Iraq, Army officials said.

There are now more than 2,000 up-armored Humvees “in theater” in Southwest Asia, which includes Afghanistan and Iraq, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker told the House Armed Services Committee in testimony on Wednesday.

Maj. Gary Tallman, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, did not have precise numbers for Iraq, but noted that most of the armored vehicles are there, rather than supporting the more limited Afghanistan mission.

The latest number represents an increase since Sept. 30, when Gen. John Keane, the Army’s vice chief of staff, told Congress there were about 800 armored Humvees in Iraq.

Humvee maker American Motors General is building a new factory specifically for up-armored Humvees that is nearly completed, Tallman said.

By spring, the manufacturer will be producing at “the maximum rate of 220” armored Humvees per month, he said.

In addition to new vehicles, the Army also has contracts to purchase 6,000 armor kits that can be installed by soldier mechanics in Iraq, Tallman said.

The kits are destined to upgrade not only many of the 8,000 conventional Humvees now in Iraq, but other vehicles as well, such as heavy transports and trucks used in convoy operations, he said.

The armor kits don’t substitute for a fully armored vehicle, Tallman said, “but it’s something we can do right now.”

About 200 of the kits have been shipped to Iraq so far, and more are being shipped as soon as they are built, he said. The Army is testing kits from a number of manufacturers who hope to sell their version to the service.

Up-armored Humvees featured heavily armored skins, including reinforcement on the undercarriage to protect against mine explosions, and bullet-resistant windshields. The heavy armor requires reinforced suspension systems and upgraded engines and power trains.

Last May, there were just 235 up-armored Humvees in Iraq, because U.S. war planners had decided that tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles would be more crucial.

But when warfighting operations morphed into peacekeeping and battles became operations against guerrilla tactics, U.S. casualties began to rise.

Today, the Army has defined a 4,000-vehicle requirement for armored Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan — 3,200 for Iraq alone, Tallman said.

But that could take a while — as late as “the summer of ’05 before we would have them all,” Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee told Senate Armed Services Committee members in November.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., told Brownlee at the hearing to make armored Humvees a top priority in Iraq.

“I don’t think we can accept an ’05 deadline,” Warner said.

Brownlee said the Army officials agreed, which was why they were planning to send the armor kits.

In the fall, Congress earmarked sufficient funds to pay for both new up-armored Humvees and armor kits to modify existing vehicles in the 2003 defense supplemental, which included $177 million in Humvee money.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: armor; gnfi; humvees; iraq; johnwarner; supplylines; uparmor; uparmoredhumvees
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1 posted on 01/29/2004 4:20:56 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Also, the Ma Deuce gun trucks are making a comback in Iraq.
2 posted on 01/29/2004 4:25:02 PM PST by demlosers (<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com">Miserable Failure</a>)
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To: MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; TEXOKIE; Alamo-Girl; windchime; Grampa Dave; anniegetyourgun; ...

With funding secured and contracting processes completed, the Army is starting to move ever-larger quantities of both armoring kits and newly built armored Humvees into Iraq, Army officials said.

“I don’t think we can accept an ’05 deadline,” Warner said.

Brownlee said the Army officials agreed, which was why they were planning to send the armor kits.

In the fall, Congress earmarked sufficient funds to pay for both new up-armored Humvees and armor kits to modify existing vehicles in the 2003 defense supplemental, which included $177 million in Humvee money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A paratrooper from Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, mans a .50 calibur machine gun at a traffic control point during Operation Salm in Fallujah.(Photo by Spc. Michael J. Carden, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 82nd Airborne Division) www.centcom.mil, 1/29/04

3 posted on 01/29/2004 4:25:10 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The chapter of Iraq's history - Saddam Hussein's reign of terror - is now closed." Lt. Gen. Sanchez)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
And I betcha local commanders have authorized "field expedient" mods to these, as well.
4 posted on 01/29/2004 4:26:08 PM PST by Old Sarge
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To: demlosers
Also, the Ma Deuce gun trucks are making a comback in Iraq

great, now if only the ROE will allow them to shot first and ask questions later

5 posted on 01/29/2004 4:27:30 PM PST by SAMWolf (We secretly replaced the dilithium crystals with Folgers crystals...)
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To: SAMWolf
great, now if only the ROE will allow them to shot first and ask questions later

I'll second that. Any Iraqi with a weapon should be considered a threat and taken out.

6 posted on 01/29/2004 4:29:47 PM PST by Blue Highway
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Protecting our troops ~ Bump!
7 posted on 01/29/2004 4:36:43 PM PST by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Uparmor bump.
8 posted on 01/29/2004 5:31:05 PM PST by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; TEXOKIE; Alamo-Girl; windchime; Grampa Dave; ...
In the fall, Congress earmarked sufficient funds to pay for both new up-armored Humvees and armor kits to modify existing vehicles in the 2003 defense supplemental, which included $177 million in Humvee money.

I'm happy to see my tax dollars go for whatever it takes -- to protect our troops!

----------------

BTW, immediately prior to opening this thread, I got an e-mail from "#2 Son", 82nd ABN's "Sgt Chris"!

(SUBJECT: Lovely Iraq!)

"I'm OK & at a Firebase south of Baghdad; been an interesting couple of days here ..."

"Living conditions are pretty good; better than the last time I was here!!!"
["last time" = 1991 -- Desert Storm... TXnMA]

----------------

Lord, please help us give Sgt Chris and all our troops who go into harm's way all the tools they need to protect themselves. But, more importantly, please wrap them in Your loving arms of care -- and bring them safely home to all those who love them.

9 posted on 01/29/2004 5:43:18 PM PST by TXnMA (No Longer!!! -- and glad to be back home (and warm) in God's Country!!)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Ok folks, I need a sanity check. That does NOT look like an M2 .50 cal. Looks like one of those 40mm grenade launchers to me.

Someone able to set me straight?
10 posted on 01/29/2004 6:35:02 PM PST by taxcontrol (People are entitled to their opinion - no matter how wrong it is.)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
This is a pentagon puff piece. Two point of note:

1. Production of uparmored humvees is not capped at 220 per month. That is a myth. The production potential is well in excell of 300 and probably 500 per month. The DoD is not being candid with congress on this matter.

2. Retrofit kits have been delayed by antiquated requisition and evaluaton proceedures in the army. The marines are shortcutting the process and getting equipment in the field months if not years ahead of the army.

3. This article is to offset scathing criticism from congress this week on the topic.

11 posted on 01/29/2004 7:00:57 PM PST by Ranger
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To: TXnMA
Amen, TX.

So glad you heard from your Sgt. Chris, and that he has a sense of humor ~ and perspective. (^:

Did he hear this speech?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee visited the Iraq-bound 82nd Soldiers for two hours just prior to their departure via two C-17 aircraft. Four additional flights took the remainder of the brigade Jan. 16.

“Over the next two months, 250,000 Soldiers will be on the move in and out of Iraq -- the biggest Army movement since World War II,” Brownlee said. “To minimize the danger, we need somebody who already has combat experience. Sorry you got picked on again. When you are really good, you get picked on.”    Link


12 posted on 01/29/2004 7:16:08 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The chapter of Iraq's history - Saddam Hussein's reign of terror - is now closed." Lt. Gen. Sanchez)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
13 posted on 01/29/2004 8:18:29 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
14 posted on 01/29/2004 8:19:20 PM PST by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
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To: TXnMA
"Lord, please help us give Sgt Chris and all our troops who go into harm's way all the tools they need to protect themselves. But, more importantly, please wrap them in Your loving arms of care -- and bring them safely home to all those who love them."

Amen.


15 posted on 01/29/2004 8:27:06 PM PST by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl; taxcontrol
taxcontrol, you are correct. That's certainly not a .50bmg, M2 or otherwise. It's a Mk 19 40mm belt-fed grenade launcher, although, despite it's caliber, it's termed a "machine gun".

Click the Gadsden flag for pro-gun resources!

16 posted on 01/30/2004 5:49:43 AM PST by Joe Brower ("What chance of survival does a culture have when its own elites actively seek its destruction?")
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To: Old Sarge
All kids of mods--metal coverings, metal boxes, metal deflectors...some more cosmetic than effective, but they're looking for protection against shrapnel and stray small caliber rounds not from IEDs and RPGs.

They have to remember that 1/2" steel carries quite a bit of weight and will rob the vehicle of speed and power.

I'm personally fond of the Razorback's 5 ton trucks with the turret box and .50 cal machine guns and the attitude when driving.
17 posted on 01/30/2004 6:53:52 AM PST by Eagle Eye ( Saddam-Who's your Bagh-Daddy now?)
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To: Joe Brower
Thanks, Joe. That's some picture. Bullets for big game, it appears.
18 posted on 01/30/2004 11:04:32 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl ("The chapter of Iraq's history - Saddam Hussein's reign of terror - is now closed." Lt. Gen. Sanchez)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl; demlosers; Old Sarge; ChiefKujo; SAMWolf; PhilDragoo; xzins; Eagle Eye; ...
ARMORED WARFARE: Easy Stick Add-On Armor

February 3, 2004: When American troops in Iraq first encountered frequent ambushes and roadside bombs, they realized that their unarmored trucks and hummers were particularly vulnerable. While many rushed to attach armor plates to the vehicles, some of the reserve troops who were cops back home knew of better solutions. At least two firms were selling light weight bulletproof composites that could be quickly attacked to police cars (doors, hood and so on). One type, Aztik 100, consisted of light weight, bendable panels. One side had glue on it, protected by paper that was peeled away when you wanted to attach a panel to a police car, or hummer, door or hood. Another product, RhinoPak, quickly developed a set of rigid lightweight bulletproof panels built to fit right on a hummer, including the top. Bullet proof glass is also provided for the windshield. The composite armor will stop a heavy machine-gun bullet (.50 caliber or 14.5mm. These panels would also stop most fragments from a bomb exploding nearby. As a result of recent reforms, units had money, and authority, available to get these armor kits, and many did.

19 posted on 02/03/2004 4:19:49 PM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (The road to Glory cannot be followed with too much baggage.)
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To: ChiefKujo; Eagle Eye; historian1944
Stick-on armor gets live test in Iraq
20 posted on 02/03/2004 4:24:20 PM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (The road to Glory cannot be followed with too much baggage.)
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