Future Tactical Truck concept replacement for the Humvee

news.yahoo.com...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp. is taking on veteran military defense titan Lockheed Martin Corp. this week in a preliminary face-off to replace the Humvee, the U.S. military's ubiquitous utility vehicle.

On Thursday, the two companies are scheduled to deliver dueling prototypes for the so-called Future Tactical Truck System program, part of the Pentagon's effort to design a combat support vehicle that is as tough as the insurgencies it faces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon in February tapped Navistar and Lockheed, known for its missiles, for the project. They beat out several competitors with more expertise in manufacturing ground military combat vehicles, including privately held AM General, the Humvee's current maker.

The government gave the two companies a wish list of the latest technologies it wants in the next generation of the multi-duty trucks. Nine months and $20 million later, the bidders have come up with rival designs.

Navistar's prototype looks like an oversized, armored pickup truck. It sports a 387-horsepower, four-cylinder, diesel-electric hybrid engine. When idling, the onboard power supply can generate 75 kilowatts of juice -- enough to power 15 American homes and still have enough left over to run 300 pounds of onboard, state-of-the-art combat communications gear.

I'm not impress, don't look like much improvement. Maybe I'm wrong. Don't look like it could withstand an IED. We just going have to find out later. They trying to cover up the rear. Hmmm...

That actually looks weaker than the current up armored Humvee's so how can it be an improvement? The final prototype better look more impressive then this if they want to have a chance at winning. Any pictures of Lockheed's version?

EDIT:

Ok after further reading I found out that the FTTS is not a program designed to replace the combat HUMVEE's. That program is in it's infancy and will not reach production status until at least 2012.

This link explains it better.

[edit on 9-11-2006 by WestPoint23]

I dont really like the new truck. It's front chasis is way to exposed. I guess the only thing "revolutionary" about it is the deisel-electric motor. IMHO the only thing that would be good for are specialized missions, where electric power is needed.

Is there anything besides a real armored vehicle like a tank that can allow the crew to survive an IED?

I can't believe it doesnt have a v shaped hull to deflect an upward blast. I wonder if reactive armor could be used to survive an IED?

Or some sort of v shape or angle on the doors to deflect a blast if thats even possible? I guess that it would have to be too wide to be effective.

I also don't like how exposed the gunner would be.

That looks like a mixure of the Humvee and the Marines Shadow RST-V.

I dont really like it. Whatever the humvee's replacement is...is has to be better at deflecting blasts...whether thats land mines, IED's, RPG's, etc. I think the sides must be angled.
Heres a picture of what I hope the Humvee's replacement will look like.

Murcielago, now that is what I'm talking about! with the angled doors Now it need a V shaped hull, a CROWS turret with an M2, and MK19 mounted, and some reactive armor

Originally posted by warpboost
Murcielago, now that is what I'm talking about! with the angled doors

Now it need a V shaped hull, a CROWS turret with an M2, and MK19 mounted, and some reactive armor

what kind of guns it will have means nothing at the moment, since they can be attached and modified for anything.

The picture I posted is a concept drawing from General Dynamics, for the Humvee replacement, its hoped to have the replacement operational by 2011. ONR chose 2 contractors to make mock-ups and conceptual designs, the 2 were General Dynamics and Oshkosh (there work is to be finished early 07). Its known as a humvee replacement...but its not gonna be. The funding just isn't there. Its expected that the humvee will remain dominat for some time to come, the Army has roughly 120,000 humvees, and the Marines have 20,000. The Humvee replacement official known as Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), its numbers are expected to be around 25,000-45,000...not even a third of the amount of humvees out there.

defense-update.com...
Specifications defined by the services for the JLTV family of vehicles address current capabilities gaps, to increase force protection, survivability, fuel-efficiency, capacity, maneuverability and automotive safety balanced with the total cost of ownership. Vehicles also must meet current weight and dimension requirements for transportability aboard ships and aircraft. In general, JLTV is expected to provide the U.S. Army and Marine Corps with a family of more survivable vehicles and greater payload than the current HMWWV.

Hopefully alot are made, the humvees are still fine for stateside, and less hostile environments, so these things would go to the front lines (Iraq & Afghan, and/or whereever there needed at the time of deployment).

Heres GD's mock-up.

Originally posted by warpboost
Is there anything besides a real armored vehicle like a tank that can allow the crew to survive an IED?

Armored humvees are survived IED's.....some. Its just that IED'd are just that, an improvised explosive device.....they can be made out of anything, different kinds of shrapnel, sizez greatly vary. Which is why theres no IED proof vehicle out there. Today, if your in an IED area, the safest vehicle you could be in is probably a Cougar, they have survived a lot, there very heavy, because there very tough, even the bullet proof windows gives you a port to stick your gun out to return fire.

I think the new humvee should just be a bit more futureistic and just overall better looking. Lots of good looking things now adays are very functional

What about his bad boy





The 3-ton ULTRA 3T will unite an array of advanced technologies in a single automotive package. Some of these technologies, such as anti-lock brakes and airbags, are commonly available on production automobiles. Others, such as computerized stability control systems and advanced power-generating capabilities, are truly cutting edge…


The original Humvee design worked well in the Persian Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo and elsewhere, says Thomas Donnelly, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a research organization. The Iraq war has forced the vehicle into doing what “it was never contemplated that it would do,” including battling bomb-wielding insurgents in today’s urban combat.

The armoring of the Humvee to counter the bombs has had limited success. Some shortcomings cannot be fixed without a thorough redesign. For example, even with armor, a Humvee’s flat bottom won’t deflect bomb blasts as well as new designs with boat-bottom-shaped underbodies.

More Pics:

Originally posted by Pepperslappy
I think the new humvee should just be a bit more futureistic and just overall better looking. Lots of good looking things now adays are very functional

Thats pretty much what the UK has done. I deff aprove of it to.

I feel sorry for who ever sits in the back!

On the bright side! .. A IED detonates next to it .. it won't blow up! .. it will blow away!

the possible problem i see in it is getting in and out fast during an engagement. If it does hit an IED theres 3 possible doors to exit counting the top part of the vehicle where the weapon will be mounted. Atleast it would keep them safe for the most part. Looks abit crampy though.

Force Protection is the company who builds the Cougar. Based on statistics I've read, 70% of American casualties (in Iraq) are related to IED blasts.

Force Protection's stock has gone from a buck in Jan 06 to above $7 and above 9 during September. This is the stock!!

[edit on 14-11-2006 by tha stillz]

Thats not im the running for a humvee replacement, its just a tech demonstrator.

and the UK one looks like an H2. It looks good, but I wouldn't call it futuristic.

The General Dynamics one should be the winner, its slanted sides will save many lives. We need vehicles that can protect our troops sooner rather then later. The JLTV should be in the battlefield by 2011...thats pretty damn fast, considering that less then 5 years away, and all it is now is a mock-up, it needs to get built and go through a massive amount of testing, and all before it gets sent overseas in under half a decade. They have a lot of work ahead of them.

I think that some of you, with all your calls for more armor, are missing a key point: Vehicles like the HMMWV, up-armored or not, are simply misplaced in the role they are used now in Iraq. That simply means that a replacement for the Hummer does not have to be IED proofed at all - it should never even get into that situation!

Obviously you can´t replace all Hummers on patrol duty with Strykers, so the US Army needs to find a decent armored patrol vehicle in the 8-12t class (which are increasingly common in other armies), and then a dedicated light truck as replacement for the other tasks of the Hummer. These are two different things.

Originally posted by Lonestar24
I think that some of you, with all your calls for more armor, are missing a key point: Vehicles like the HMMWV, up-armored or not, are simply misplaced in the role they are used now in Iraq. That simply means that a replacement for the Hummer does not have to be IED proofed at all - it should never even get into that situation!

Obviously you can´t replace all Hummers on patrol duty with Strykers, so the US Army needs to find a decent armored patrol vehicle in the 8-12t class (which are increasingly common in other armies), and then a dedicated light truck as replacement for the other tasks of the Hummer. These are two different things.

I would reiterate, IED blasts have caused 70% of US casualties in Iraq. And being heavily invested in Force Protection since January, I have more than one reason to protect our troops.

My stance: the more armor, the better.

BTW, FRPT is back up to $9/share, with news of a new 217 Million contract. Tax dollars well spent in my opinion.

The humvee is the most widely used vehicle for anything and everything in the military. The US military wont buy in mass numbers a vehicle that cant do everything the humvee can, and then some. The humvee replaced the jeep, yet di the jeep and the humvee do that same things? of course not. cause times change, as do tactics.

The Army and Marines want a vehicle that is designed with urban environments in mind. Because really, if you think about it, that’s the only place for them to do battle.....the reason is because the US tries to destroy as little infrastructure as possible. Any other place we could just use a bomb, since bombs have gotten much smarter, and little 250 pound bombs are available...which is great for destroying a building in an urban environment...since there will be a lot less collateral damage done to surrounding structures.