Posted on 08/30/2016 9:53:40 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The JLTV (Oshkosh Defense)
As the U.S. Army readies to bring its current crop of Humvees into the 21st century with a new vehicle, reconnaissance officials are also looking to replace the Humvee's pre-World War II .50-caliber machine gun with a version of the Apache helicopter’s cannon in 2019. The Army has embarked on a major project to replace the Humvee, officially known as the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWVS). Last year the Army signed a $6.7 billion deal with Oshkosh Defense for 17,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs). Touted as offering more protection and greater off-road mobility, JLTVs will replace a large chunk of the Army and Marine Corps’ legacy Humvee fleet. The military expects to see the new vehicles in 2018 and 2019.
Col. William T. Nuckols Jr., director of mounted requirements at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE) at Fort Benning, Ga., says the shift to new vehicles is a great opportunity for scout platoons to upgrade from the Humvees’ M2 .50-caliber gun.
“The design work for [the M2] was started in 1917 by General John Pershing,” he explained. “I don’t want to bash it; it’s the best heavy machine gun in the world, but technology has continued to move.”
Nuckols explained that, while scouts’ primary role is reconnaissance, they need heavy firepower when they run into enemy forces. “In a chance encounter scouts will be looking to engage the enemy, then disengage as quickly as possible,” he said.
A version of the M230-LF 30-mm. cannon used on Apache helicopters would significantly boost scout platoons’ weaponry, according to Nuckols, citing the cannon’s devastating explosive rounds.
“Having an exploding bullet is good when you’re facing enemy soldiers who are in a vehicle or behind a wall,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This is the chain gun, right?
John Browning’s .50 will ventilate lots of things, and take down concrete block walls. Who wants some? Come get some! And 20/30mm cannon are lots bigger logistically than M2’s... JMHCO, ;)
I was a weapons platoon gunner and when compared to small arms at the company level the M2-HB .50 is the big hitter.
But the first time you see cannon-caliber munitions being used, the .50 cal seems like a Red Ryder BB gun.
This chain gun is a good switch for the HMMWV armament upgrade.
How long before ISIS captures a few hundred of them from our “allies.?”
That’s soooo last year.
These days, we ship them directly along with palettes of cash
Heh, I can only imagine! Not that I wouldn’t enjoy a bit of trigger time with the big stuff—just for fun...
What a bullshit name for an important organization. Excellence is not achieved in a title, but in practice. It made sense to rename the Army's proud Infantry Center after the Armor School was moved to Fort Benning (from Fort Knox) and their shared mission focused on joint maneuver. Calling it "Maneuver Warfare Center" would have made sense. But the Army's TRADOC bureaucrats have gone nuts with eight of these self-proclaimed "Centers of Excellence" that sound more like failing inner city schools than the training laboratories of a fighting army. I feel sorry for the men who have to suffer such sophomoric bullshit after putting their lives on the line for us.
Ironic thing is that the Russians have used the same 30mm gun model on their IFVs and their attack helicopters for a while now!
Sounds like a much modernized version of the Scout tank, like the old M3/M5 Steward.
It began life as a Jeep (M-38 or M-151) replacement.
Now it is aiming for Armored Car or Light Tank. This thing sounds like an LAV-25 wannabe.
What is the weight of 500 rds of .50 cal vs 500 of 30mm?
And yes, I understand that the 30mm has immensely more impact power than the .50 cal.
That 30 mm does not have a flat trajectory with its relatively short case without a neck. Also regular armorer skills are not transferable to maintain it. It requires a specialized technician to put back together and time properly. No way the guy shooting it or his buddies will know how to fix it in the field like he would the M2 unless he holds a dual Infantry/tech MOS.
I agree. There's a laundry list of Excellence names added on to crap throughout the Army along with adding "Joint Base" to every Army Fort next an Air Force Base name. Soldiers repeating that would sound like they're on drugs.
I was Cav. Scouts shouldn’t have too heavy a weapon. Give them too big a gun, and they will go looking for a fight.
Ma Duce is just fine.
Yes, it’s a chain gun.
I question whether this change is necessary, or if it’s just an opportunity for some cronies to make a lot of money.
What if we doubled up and put two M-2’s on a humvee mount. They used quad 50’s in Vietnam . Also redesign the ammunition to include exploding shells in the belt
Ma Deuces for the surplus market!
>>This chain gun is a good switch for the HMMWV armament upgrade.
How many rounds of 50BMG to a pound? How many 30mm to a pound.
If you need a light tank, build a light tank. If you need an armed and armored utility vehicle, then build that.
Don’t do this too quick, Obama will give them to ISIS.
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