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HMMWV, IEDed
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In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles that do not need to be designed for combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts.

One front is operational. IED land mines have been the #1 killer of American troops in Iraq, and up-armoring flat-bottomed Humvees proved to be an inadequate response. This finally led to the MRAP program at the end of 2006, which will have ordered and produced nearly 16,000 blast-resistant vehicles in less than 3 years. British experience in Iraq and Afghanistan has been similar, with 1/8 of all its casualties inflicted on troops riding in poorly-protected Land Rover Snatch jeeps. Those conditions have prompted several senior officer resignations in protest, including highly placed SAS commanders.

Ultra APV demonstrator
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The other front is buying trends. While some countries like Australia and Germany were foresighted enough to develop and field mine-resistant vehicles before 2001, a collective realization is sinking in across the board that up-armoring flat-bottomed vehicles with inadequate carrying capacity, in order to provide a level of protection that is better but still poor, simply will not do. Future patrol vehicles will need to be designed from the outset for blast-resistance against land mines and even car bombs.

These design imperatives found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Hummers as its main tactical vehicle in combat zones. The military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than the MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially improved protection over existing up-armored Hummers. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc.

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, though its future remains cloudy due to expected spending cutbacks and the possible presence of “good enough” substitutes. The end of October 2008 saw 3 contract awards out of 7 qualifying submissions, which will be developed over the next 27 months into rival designs for the JLTV’s systems design and development phase. The latest development is Britain’s non-participation – perhaps because they already have a JLTV-type vehicle on order…

• JLTV: Program & Risks
• JLTV: Goals and Constraints
• JLTV: Participants and Platforms
• JLTV: Contracts and Key Events
• Additional Readings

Subscribe to DII and start reading the full story of the multi-billion dollar JLTV program. This Hummer replacement effort could become the globe's largest single land vehicle buy - or it could crash amidst budgetary pressures and "good enough" alternatives. Read:

• Rich media resources including photos of the contenders
• Description and analysis of the program's technical, budgetary, and time-based constraints, and their potential impact on its future
• Descriptions of the key contenders - and of those entries that did not make the initial cut, but might still be back in Phase 2
• Chronology of the program from its inception, and associated contracts and milestones
• Helpful research links to additional DID and external source materials

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