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SEATTLE - Taking a page from auto manufacturers, the Army has rolled out several concept vehicles it hopes will help spawn new technologies for the next generation.
The two utility trucks and two maneuver sustainment vehicles are part of a $60 million Army program to modernize military tactical vehicles like the Humvee and the Hemmet, the Army’s large transport truck. They are to be used strictly for demonstration and aren’t likely to go into production, Army officials said.
The trucks, which arrived at Fort Lewis earlier this month, were tested Wednesday by soldiers with the 14th Battalion and the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
”We’ve given them to the soldiers to play with them and try to break ’em,” said Tim Connor, a Defense Department contractor based at Fort Lewis who is overseeing the project.
All four trucks are equipped with remote weapons systems, night-vision capabilities and diesel-electric hybrid engines. They also include ballistics glass, video cameras and touch-screen controls.
The Army wants to explore such technology for future use on aging vehicles like the Humvee, which doesn’t have enough power or protection to carry out today’s military missions.
”What we’re running with now has become antiquated,” Connor said.
The quieter hybrid system would be especially useful during combat missions, Connor said.
”If you want to sneak up on someone, you turn on the electric ... which also boosts the horsepower,” he said. [...]