DailyTech got me started on this but their source was the Army Technology site. A replacement for the Humvee, long overdue. Nice bit of detail at the site, not much re costs and schedules.
For a look at why such a vehicle is very desirable view the Generation Kill miniseries. Amazing what the Force Recon dudes could do with a current Humvee. I find it a wonder that the military could actually develop a reasonable vehicle; the movie Pentagon Wars traced the development of the light vehicle that eventually wound up as the Bradley. This JLTV looks much like what was originally desired by the troops.
From: leonsk [#4] 2 Feb 23:07 To: Whitelitr [#2] 3 Feb 0:03
That's actually a bit like those stripped down Land Rovers that the SAS likes to use. The Warthog does look very cool but don't see much load carrying capacity for those longer patrols. But the definitive vehicle for a trip downtown.
From: IMNOTDRPHIL [#6] 12 Feb 18:51 To: leonsk [#1] 12 Feb 19:20
The Oshkosh M-ATV is the heavier replacement for the Humvee and is designed to be much better at negotiating difficult terrain and IEDs than the Humvee. This would be a huge riot to drive over stuff that kills Jeeps, Hummers, and lifted Land Rovers. Or driving over the butthole in the Prius in front of you that insists on accelerating at a rate of 1 mph/second away from the stoplight. (nod)
I need that latter one where I live as poky Prius drivers are as plentiful as kudzu is down South, and move about as quickly.
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From: IMNOTDRPHIL [#9] 12 Feb 19:39 To: Cagey (KGWAGNER) [#7] 12 Feb 19:55
Yeah, that would be nice! It would certainly show up the Porsches, Bimmers, and Priuses the people I work with drive to work. The part about being bomb-resistant would be needed too as I am sure some idiot would try to kick a dent in the side or key it. Boy, wouldn't they get a surprise ;-) But I doubt it'd fit in the parking garage due to low clearance. It wouldn't be a problem parking, but I doubt the maintenance people would think highly of the new enlarged entrance I made. Or in having to clean up the two Priuses I parked on top of, since I wanted a good spot instead of one in the nosebleed section.
From: worsel [#10] 13 Feb 4:08 To: leonsk [#8] 13 Feb 4:35
quote:
Zero to 60 mph: 32.8 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 30.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 24.5 sec @ 54 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 65 mph
The thing is obviously made for lightning quick strikes at the enemy. A freaking rusted out VW Microbus with a blown engine can move faster! The JLTV sounds like the Maginot Line on wheels - indestructible and immovable. How many billions of dollars did the government spend on developing this "vehicle"???
quote:
Wonder what the fuel consumption is for that 7 liter diesel.
Since it is built to government specs, the fuel consumption is probably comparable to that of a small Navy destroyer. JLTV is made for the Middle East; that's the only place where the fuel tank can be kept full easily.
quote: Zero to 60 mph: 32.8 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 30.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 24.5 sec @ 54 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 65 mph
The thing is obviously made for lightning quick strikes at the enemy. A freaking rusted out VW Microbus with a blown engine can move faster! The JLTV sounds like the Maginot Line on wheels - indestructible and immovable. How many billions of dollars did the government spend on developing this "vehicle"???
This vehicle was designed to withstand the roadside bombs that took out a lot of the Hummers currently being used. The Hummers weren't really able to pack on enough armor to withstand the bombs (an armored Hummer weighs about five tons) so a bigger vehicle was needed. A rusted-out VW Microbus may be faster, but a fair-sized pothole will take out the Microbus, let alone a roadside bomb. Speed really isn't the purpose of this vehicle. If you need to get somewhere quickly, the military has a lot better equipment to do that than land vehicles.
Oshkosh used some of the already-developed JLTV gear, which the government paid a few hundred million dollars to develop. I don't have figures about what the R&D costs for the M-ATV were, but I'd bet they're probably well into the eight-figure range if not higher.
quote:
quote: Wonder what the fuel consumption is for that 7 liter diesel.
Since it is built to government specs, the fuel consumption is probably comparable to that of a small Navy destroyer. JLTV is made for the Middle East; that's the only place where the fuel tank can be kept full easily.
I'd guess in the high single digits since that's roughly what civilian trucks with a similar-sized engine and weight get. A Ford F-650 for example has the same Caterpillar C7 engine, although at the "stock" 300 hp rather than the computer-chipped 370 hp the M-ATV has.
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From: worsel [#12] 14 Feb 16:36 To: IMNOTDRPHIL [#11] 14 Feb 17:51
quote:
Speed really isn't the purpose of this vehicle
Just as being IED-resistant was not the original purpose of the Hummer. However, once they got to Iraq, all of a sudden the need for armor arose. When the Hummers were designed and built, there was no such thing as an IED. Similarly, at this point in time, speed may not be the purpose of the JLTV. How will the real world of warfare have changed by the time JLTVs are delivered to our armed forces in quantity? I would not want my kid to be riding in one. Instead of painting them in some camo scheme, they might as well paint a nice, big, red bulls eyes on them because that is what they are going to be, big, fat. slow practice targets for the enemy. I can guarantee that the first field change made to JLTV is going to be the removal or bypassing of the speed governor. That speed governor sounds like something Diane Feinstein or Barbara Boxer or Nancy Pelosi would insist on so that our troops would not have an advantage over whoever they were fighting.