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HUMMER And Its Military Future

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:46:29 +0000

HUMMERs first came to be during the 1980′s as a multipurpose troop and personnel transport used by the United States Army. General Motors bought the rights to produce a civilian model (Hummer 1 or H1) in the early 1990′s – since then the vehicle has been downgraded, in a sense, to be more civilized and family friendly. With the future of Hummer now up in the air some speculate the mighty H may go back to its military roots.

The Humvee or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle has been converted dozens of times for use in a variety of missions, landscapes and temperatures.

Not to mention all the various retrofitting done to carry everything from sensitive communication devices to machine gun turrets, missile launchers and other tactical equipment. As sales of civilian Hummers drop quarterly it may only be a short time before they are no longer sold on dealer lots. All this vehicle has left is the possibility of a purchase by some foreign power to use in the deserts and snow covered valleys of war torn territories.

But even the USA is thinking about replacing the Hummer as a staple of troop carries, just as Humvee did to the Jeep. The US Military Tactical Truck Systems program is currently testing prototype vehicles, including the International FTTS UV Concept.

Along with this Humvee-killer more “smart” military droves are being produced. Manless vehicles designed to be worked remotely via satellite, sent out to patrol demilitarized zones, go into battle and even search for lost or injured troops and civilians. Two such vehicles currently set for production include The Gladiator and the Andros Mark V0A-1 – which looks like Johnny Five on steroids.

So, it seems this may be all for Hummer, at least as an all purpose military action vehicle, or a pumped up family cruiser. Sure, fans of the truck will keep it alive via fan clubs and car shows, but unless GM’s H4 is a smash hit it looks like we’ve come to the end of (production) line.

The Chinese & Defense Contractors to buy Hummer?

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:29:56 +0000

Hunan Changfeng Motor Company has been in talks since March to possibly buy out the very American Hummer. Interest waned – until the Red China auto maker teamed up with AM General LLC about a joint acquisition of the brand. General manager of Changfeng Motor Zhengchu Chen said, “We never quit talks on acquiring the brand, but now instead of doing it alone, we decide to form partnership with AM General to reduce risk as the global economy falters. We have to always adjust our plan to market conditions.”

The joint venture would keep Hummer production in the states – and perhaps bring the new domesticated H series back to former military glory.

AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in Indiana, best known for building the original HUMVEE- High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles the Army in 1983, with civilian models (Hummers) starting in 1992. General Motors acquired exclusive ownership of the Hummer brand name in 1999.

How will American truck fans feel if such a symbol of western indulgence is to be produced by an eastern company?

The Ultimate Hummer Tribute Video

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:56:24 +0000

Watch the Hummer dominate natural obstacles in this collection of Hummer off road video footage.