The Army has posted the latest version of draft specifications for its planned Up Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) Competitive Recapitalization and Modernization program aimed at incorporating proven solutions to improve the survivability, mobility and operational capability of the vehicle.
The service is calling it a Humvee Modernized Expanded Capacity Vehicle (HMMWV MECV).
Version 3.1, posted Nov. 21 on the Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command website, and its annexes are drafts, and pre-decisional and may change before the release of the final Request for Proposals. The last specification posts were Oct. 31.
The Army first released its draft specifications in August (Defense Daily, Aug. 15). The RFP was to be released earlier this month but has been pushed back, in part due to budget uncertainties.
Also on Nov. 21, the Army added four annexes: Operational Mode Summaries and Mission Profiles, all based on four-day missions. Another annex concerns the Basic Issue Items (BII) listing, including such things as a first aid kit. Another newly-posted annex describes the formulas to calculate the single-pass Vehicle Cone Index (VCI1) for the MECV from measured vehicle characteristics. Another annex covers the vehicle test load plan, specifying general locations for crew weight and payload distribution.
This month the Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli talked about the HMMWV MECV with vehicle manufacturers, which are waiting to see what the service wants to do.
In October, Chiarelli told a House committee that for one, recapitalizing Humvees was necessary for the service’s future.
“I just think that it’s absolutely essential that we be allowed to continue that critical work or we will end up with a force that is not modernized,” he told the House Armed Services Readiness subcommittee. “And a force that’s not modernized is an unbalanced force, and in the end it will cost us lives.” (Defense Daily, Oct. 28).
In September, at the Modern Day Marine Exposition, Ceradyne Inc. (CRDN) Vehicle Armor Systems and partner Gravikor revealed their entry for the competition. Navistar Defense LLC unveiled its vehicle for the competition in October.
Textron [TXT] Marine and Land Systems and Granite Tactical Vehicles have teamed for the competition.
Humvee creator AM General, and separate teams led by Oshkosh [OSK], Lockheed Martin [LMT] and BAE Systems are also in the hunt.
This continual refining effort reflects the Army’s Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy released earlier this year (Defense Daily, Jan. 28). Originally unarmored, the light, highly mobile and unarmored Humvee cost some $70,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Adapting to changing environments and requirements has driven the costs over $220,000 per vehicle with frag kits–yet the vehicle still will not meet all the Army’s needs.
Therefore, the service is pursuing the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), which will cost more than the recap Humvee, but still less than the cost of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
Both the JLTV and MRAP would take on some of the current Humvee missions that they are better suited for, which would allow the divestment of older Humvees and reduction in the numbers and kinds of Humvees.
For more information: http://contracting.tacom.army.mil/majorsys/mecv/mecv.htm.