Russian soldiers recently conducted field testing on the armor protection level of the High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), commonly known as the Humvee.
Soldiers subjected an American-made Humvee, previously in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces but abandoned due to mine detonation, to close-range gunfire. The results of the test surprised the Russian troops, as, despite the proximity, the vehicle’s armored glass showcased its resilience even under direct fire.
The Humvee is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles that uses a common chassis to carry a wide variety of military hardware ranging from machine guns to tube-launched, optically tracked, wire command-guided (TOW) anti-tank missile launchers.
The Russian military has previously claimed that Western-made combat vehicles have superior armor characteristics compared to their Russian counterparts.
🇺🇦🇺🇸 Russian soldiers captured an American Humvee that was in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They found themselves perplexed by the fact that the windows seemed unbreakable. True Sci-Fi Magic! pic.twitter.com/mjFhGvm19j
— Astraia Intel (@astraiaintel) February 23, 2024
Ukrainian military personnel also have reported numerous instances where modern vehicles provided by allies have safeguarded soldiers’ lives during enemy ambushes or mine explosions, allowing them to retreat from hostile areas even in damaged vehicles.