Posted on 02/06/2004 3:48:29 PM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 6, 2004) -- Despite the misconception of some members of Congress and the media who have raised the issue in recent weeks, the Army is meeting Central Command’s requirements for up-armored Humvees for operations in Iraq and doing it in a timely manner, according to Maj. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III, commanding general for the Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.
Part of the misconception is not understanding who is responsible for identifying what resources are needed for an operation, and part, not understanding the nature of the operation has changed significantly since the buildup to war a year ago, Thompson said.
“It is up to the combatant commander to determine what the requirements are -- in this case, CENTCOM,” Thompson said. “You also have to understand that the nature of the threat has changed from a year ago when we were building up for the war in Iraq, facing primarily a conventional enemy, to current operations where Soldiers are fighting a different type of enemy -- insurgents who use RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) as their weapon of choice.
“We met CENTCOM’s requirement for up-armored Humvees a year ago and we are meeting new requirements ahead of schedule.”
There are two versions of up-armored Humvees: a production model and one made by installing a recently developed Armor Survivability Kit.
Early experiences with mines in Bosnia identified the need for the Army to have some Humvees with better protection in the lead of convoys and for patrol vehicles, said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Schoenbeck, up-armored Humvee combat developer at the Military Police School, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Weighing about 2,000 pounds more than a standard Humvee, the first up-armored version came off the production line in 1996. In addition to steel plating and ballistic-resistant windows around the cab of the vehicle that offer better protection against small arms fire and shrapnel, it has steel plating underneath that offers protection against up to eight pounds of explosive beneath the engine to four pounds in the cargo area.
“I have never rolled over a mine while in Bosnia, but some of my Soldiers did,” Schoenbeck. “It was amazing to see those Soldiers come out of those experiences without any serious injuries because they were in an up-armored Humvee.”
Following reports of almost daily RPG and IED attacks on Army vehicles in Iraq, engineers from the Research Development and Engineering Command began developing a modification kit last summer to provide better protection for standard production Humvees operating in Iraq. With design help from the Army Research Laboratory and testing from Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground Test Center in October, the Armor Survivability Kit was born.
The kit includes armored doors with ballistic-resistant windows and seatback protectors. It adds about 1,000 pounds to a standard Humvee, Schoenbeck said, giving better protection against the RPG and IED threat in Iraq. There are two ASK versions, one supporting a two-door Humvee and the other, a four-door Humvee.
ASK is not intended to replace the original production model of the up-armored Humvee, but it is a means to provide greater survivability to Soldiers using a standard Humvee, officials said.
Six Army depots are producing ASK. They have shipped more than 1,000, since November as of Feb. 5, against CENTCOM’s requirement of 5,000 kits.
Shipments are about two weeks ahead of the delivery schedule agreed upon with CENTCOM, Thompson said, and we expect that trend to get even better.
Production of the original version up-armored Humvee is also being ramped up to meet CENTCOM requirements and industry is responding to those needs, Thompson said.
The TACOM, ARL and TARDEC partnership is now directing its research efforts toward producing similar force protection kits for medium and heavy utility vehicles.
(Editor’s note: An article by Paul D. Mehney, RDECOM-TARDEC, contributed to this article.)
Up-armored Humvees offer protection against most small arms fire, shrapnel and anti-personnel mines. This up-armored Humvee was displayed in the Pentagon center courtyard Feb. 4 & 5.
They have much more to do!
Of course it is. You wouldn't expect TACOM to admit otherwise would you?
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