The U.S. Army plans to seek funding in the fiscal year 2020 to keep ageing Humvee fleet, according to Inside Defense specializes in exclusive, hard-hitting news on Defense Department programs, procurement and policy-making.
According to Inside Defense’s report, the Army’s fiscal year 2020 budget request will include $7.5 million in research and development funding to launch a new program that aims to modernize the balance of the service’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) fleet.
Army’s officials decide to save fleet of HMMWV, commonly known as Humvee after widespread use in the Gulf War of 1991, about 50,000 vehicles, that will not be replaced by the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
The U.S. military is currently pursuing several initiatives to replace it, both in the short and long term, but Army seeks to preserve the huge fleet of their favorite and simple vehicles through the program recapitalize and modernization.
The Humvee is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the original jeep, and others such as the M151 jeep, the M561 Gama Goat, and other light trucks.
The HMMWV was designed primarily for personnel and light cargo transport behind front lines, not as a front line fighting vehicle but is now used in tactical roles for which it was not originally intended.
Primarily used by the United States military, the Humvee is also used by numerous other countries and organizations and even in civilian adaptations. The Humvee has had widespread use in the Middle East for the Gulf War of 1991, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and other areas.
Currently, approximately 230,000 HMMWVs serve as the backbone of U.S. defense tactical vehicle fleets around the world.