Illustrious as the beast is, the time has come for the U.S. military to replace its staple Hummer in favor of a new tactical vehicle. Read on to see the choices being considered.
There are currently three companies in contention for the new contract, each with a vehicle that makes the outgoing Hummer look a lot like the suburb cruising sister vehicles it spawned.
First up: the BRV-O, which stands for Blast Resistant Vehicle – Off Road. Made by AM General, the company behind the Hummer, its proposed replacement shares the same crazy ground clearance, and turret-mounted gun but with what looks like heavier armor and better protection for the gunner.
The next freedom machine comes from Lockheed Martin and looks more like one of the Tonka Trucks you might have played with as a kid. Called the J-LTV, it doesn’t seem to offer the same take-any-terrain capability, this thing looks like it belongs on the Discovery Channel’s Big Machines. Powered by a diesel V8 and armored by BAE systems, a British company, this one probably doesn’t know how to bleed red white and blue correctly.
Finally, Wisconsin-based Oshkosh is offering the final replacement candidate. Perhaps the most forward thinking of the three, the L-ATV competed in the 2010 Baja 1000 off-road race and can be had as a diesel-electric hybrid. Oshkosh also says the vehicle offers mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) fortification. Attractive as having a car capable of off-road racing probably is in a combat situation, the hybrid drivetrain is likely to cost more than the trucks it’s competing against.
Realistically, it looks like AM General will have a good case for continuing to supply the military with off-road tactical vehicles, but then again the bidding is far from won.
[Source: Fox News]