Autoblog

Boeing wants more government contracts, and it thinks lasers are the way to get them. The company's Laser Avenger system is something it whipped together in eight short months, and it's pretty impressive. Mounted on a retrofitted anti-aircraft Humvee, the setup is being demonstrated as a way to zap IEDs from a distance, neutralizing them before the convoys and patrols they target ever rumble by. Its 1kw laser beam causes near-instantaneous detonation of the munitions its been used on so far, and Boeing's also hinting that it might just work as an anti-aircraft weapon, too. Trucks with laser guns might be a lot closer than you think.

[Source: Popular Mechanics via Instapundit]

TPI Composites has built a Hummer for the Army that is made of composite materials. The Hummer loses 900 pounds of metal body panels and parts, which are then replaced with parts fabricated of fiberglass, balsa wood, foam, and carbon, with resin as a bonding agent.

That 900 pounds is then put back in the vehicle in the form of extra armor where the truck most needs it: in areas that will protect it from roadside bombs. The composite truck has some quirks -- like a body that feels like sandpaper, and the fact that the fenders bend and some other panels are pliable. Yet even though it weighs the same as a traditional Humvee, the point is that it's better built to withstand the threat that kills more soldiers than any other.

AM General and the Army spent 18 months doing R&D on the vehicle. No tests have been carried out yet and the Army hasn't committed to buying any. But if substituting metal for composites and additional armor is shown to save lives, then the vehicle -- which costs more than a standard Humvee -- could make a lot of friends in dangerous places.

[Source: Gizmodo]

UPDATE: The Crazy Soldier is, in fact, being built with the full knowledge and support of General Motors. Thanks for all who caught this.

It looks as though no car is safe from China's car copying industry - not even the U.S. military-derived Humvee. Guessing that there's an extensive market out there for urban assault vehicles, China's Dongfeng has released a new model it calls the 'Crazy Soldier,' which shares a striking resemblance to the original military truck created by AM General.

The Crazy Soldier was apparently developed over a period of four and half years, with engineers working closely with army officials and General Motors in an effort to design a vehicle that perfectly suited the needs of the military. They then added a radio and CD player, slapped a price tag on it and released it onto the Chinese domestic market.

[Source: China Car Times via Autoblog.nl]

It turns out that the spy shots of what we thought was an AM General prototype for the next-gen Humvee was anything but. After seeing the pics appear on the web, AM General contacted World Car Fans with an explanation of what we were looking at. The vehicle shot by Brenda Priddy & Co. was in fact the Evolutionary Concept Vehicle II (EVC II), which AM General's been exhibiting in public at U.S. Army events since last year. It doesn't seem to be an official next-gen prototype of anything, but just a concept vehicle the company uses to generate interest.

We also thought that the Pentagon's project for the next-gen Humvee was called the Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS). While that program does exist, the one to replace the current Humvee is called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). AM General is working on a JLTV prototype for the program in conjunction with General Dynamics, but has yet to show it in public.

Despite it not being the real deal, the vehicle in the spy shots is still a bad ass truck that would like right at home on a battlefield, but we'll have to wait a while longer before we find out what the military will choose as its next whip.

[Source: World Car Fans]

click above image for more views of the AM General Humvee Prototype

Though normally hiding in bushes and waiting for the next-gen Mustang or Corvette Blue Devil to pass by, Brenda Priddy and pals sometimes spy things not meant for public consumption. They recently photographed a new AM General HUMVEE prototype that will be competing for the military's Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS) contract, which will produce the replacement for the current Humvee, of which some 140,000 are still in active service. Though prototypes from Lockheed Martin and other military contractors will also be submitted, this is AM General's bid to keep the Humvee in the game.

Follow the jump for more details and Priddy's own analysis of the vehicle that's aided by her consult with some military experts, and check out the high-res pics in our gallery below.

[Photos: Brenda Priddy & Co.]

This video is pretty shocking to watch, as it's difficult to imagine anyone being able to get away with driving like that in the U.S., even the military. But then again, Baghdad isn't Boston and slowing down a HUMVEE for a traffic jam creates a target that's much easier to attack. Nevertheless, it's not difficult to understand why some Iraqis have a distaste for the U.S. military's presence in their country after watching this video, especially if they're car nuts. As we said earlier, though, we wouldn't want to see a video of what might have happened if the HUMVEE had stopped.

If you have a comment, please keep it respectful of the members of the U.S. miltary and the citizens of Iraq.

[Source: CarScoop]

AM General says because of Hummer-sized dropoff in sales, it will cut 160 jobs at its Indiana plant by year end. Company officials say expensive gas and relatively large sticker prices are two obstacles even the lane-hogging Hummer H2 just can't overcome. H2 sales have also been cannibalized by the somewhat smaller and more fuel-efficient H3.

On an ironically positive note, U.S. government orders for military Humvees are outpacing the Indiana plant's production capability. AMG spokesman Craig Mac Nab says some of the newly unemployed workers might be moved to H1 production.

This isn't the first time H2 plant workers have been laid off. AMG let go 170 workers in January. The H2 plant also shut down for two weeks in October in an attempt to control overproduction. Is this the end of the lumbering, dinosaur-like H2? Or can it evolve into a more planet-friendly vehicle?

[Sources: CNN and The Detroit News]

It's been called HMMWV, the High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Humvee for short, or HUMMER for civilian use, but it's been twenty years since DoD chassis M998 was put into service, and the Pentagon wants something new.

The Humvee slowly found its way into the civilian market when celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger began purchasing them for personal use, and the brand was bought from AM General by General Motors in 1999. GM recently took the Hummer H1 off the civilian market, replaced by the more modern and (comparatively speaking) more efficient and roadworthy H2. Now the Pentagon wants part of the action again with a new Humvee 30-40% lighter, more fuel efficient and with better armor to protect our troops.

AM General and GM are not currently competing for the DoD tender, but Navistar International (with the CXT) and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin are in the running.

The Humvee originally gained its fame on CNN during the first Iraq war, several years after it was put into service. Since then, new technologies – including vitals like drivetrain and lightweight/high-strength construction materials – have been developed that could prove useful on the battlefield.

[Source: Edmunds Straightline]

You might remember JCB as the construction equipment manufacturer attempting to set the diesel land speed world with its oil-burning Dieselmax H1, which just happened to make its first run last weekend. Its other project is this Hummer-dwarfing off-roader called the HMUV, for High Mobility Utility Vehicle. JCB has recruited a team of professionals to design and sell the 6.7-liter HMUV, including former Land Rover managing director Mathew Taylor who will head up sales and marketing for the HMUV. While not originally intended as a roadgoing vehicle, the HMUV could reportedly be sold to private owners using a commercial version of the 4.4-liter diesel engine being tested in the Dieselmax H1. For military use, however, the HMUV can be ordered either as a pickup or fully-enclosed people carrier.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Even if a HUMMER is not a sweet sight for a lot of folks, this post from sibling site Luxist is almost guaranteed to bring a smile. Artist Heidi Hesse has created a full-sized replica of the original HumVee out of gumballs. She created the hard-shelled SUV in dedication to the soldiers who gave candy to children during the recent wars.

While there's limited information on the gumball, steel, and wire mesh creation itself, it is currently on display at the MOCA Tucson in Arizona.

[Source: OMG via Luxist]