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History Of The Hummer
By:
Published: September 22, 2006
Imagine it is the late 1970s. The Cold War continues, as do tensions between the Soviet Union and its primary rival, the United States. Rather than fight a direct war and risk nuclear annihilation, proxy wars break out in numerous countries. In some cases, such as Iran, local opposition overthrows the government supported by one of these two major powers.
Thus, the arms race is on – not just nuclear weaponry, but conventional weapons continue to develop.
This is where the U.S. Army enters the story of the origin of the Hummer. Army leaders decided the militarized civilian trucks they had been using were obsolete and a new vehicle was needed to assure performance on the battlefield if war was to be fought. The military specified what they desired in a new military vehicle, a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and the race was on to design and create a vehicle with the highest standards.
Teledyne and Chrysler Defense were in the forefront of the competition, having already designed such vehicles. Though A.M. General had to start from scratch behind the two favorites, it was this underdog company that created the Hummer.
Of course, the deal was not immediately sealed, and the three competing companies were still testing their creations; A.M. General's Hummer, Teledyne's Cheetah and Chrysler Defense's adaptation of Saluki desert vehicle were each in their prototype phase.
Nevertheless, it was an impressive accomplishment on the part of A.M. General to put the Hummer into the testing phase a mere 11 months after first designing the vehicle. By 1981, the military asked for the three companies to build and send them variants. In April 1982, A.M. General was the first to complete the demanded vehicles and sent their Hummers (the military version was to be called the Humvee) to Yuma, Aberdeen and Fort Hunter-Liggett.
The Hummer proved its worth, completing durability testing and boasting light weight and high performance ratings. By March 1983, the Hummer production contract was awarded and 55,000 were demanded within a five year deadline.
But what qualities of the Humvee enticed the military to place orders and to continue using them today?
In addition to light-weight and high-performance ratings, Humvees are maneuverable, four-wheel-drive-equipped and can be used on all types of terrain during a myriad of weather conditions. They can reach a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour and can ford as much as 2.5 feet of water, and twice that depth with deep water fording kits equipped.
Since their inception and construction, Humvees have been deployed in the U.S. invasion of Panama, Somalia, Kosovo and Iraq. They continue to be a major part of U.S. military forces present across the world.
Today, however, the U.S. Army is looking for Humvee replacements and prototypes are beginning the testing phase to become the military’s newest tactical vehicle. Thus, the golden age of the Hummer on the battlefield may be coming to an end.
But the Hummer has not disappeared. Even in the late 1980s, A.M. General was planning to sell civilian Hummers and, in 1991, these plans were realized. Hummers were produced and sold through General Motors. Since then, there have been three models of civilian Hummers – the original H1, the H2 produced since 2003, and the most recent H3, production of which began this year.
The primary differences between the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee are quite basic; the Hummer lacks armor and weaponry, and an interior made for consumer comfort. The rest of the technically details – drive-train, suspension and body – are the same for both the civilian and military variations of the Hummer.
As with all civilian vehicles, the Hummer also goes through changes – the three models are not the same. While both H1 and H2 are large, heavy, with large engines, the latter is smaller. The H3 is even smaller than the H2, and is more customized to be an everyday person's Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and can ford deeper water than the H2.
These differences aside, many people are fans of the Hummer, but there are also sizeable criticisms. All three models are condemned as major gas-guzzlers and as being too big for the streets. In Consumer Reports online magazine, the H3 was criticized for being clumsy, with lengthy wet stops causing the vehicle to slide, and poor visibility.
Nevertheless, as long as there are consumers looking for a new Hummer, newer versions will surely be produced, and will be made to compensate for the shortcomings of earlier models. Though its military career may have ended, the Hummer's future as a civilian vehicle is not yet in doubt.
Sources:
Consumer Reports. Giselle Benatar. 2006. November 2005 .
Lynch, Jim. History of the Hummer. Lynch Hummer Pre-Owned Hummer Headquarters.
US Army Fact Files. Army Fact File – HMMWV. US Army. 2006. .
This is where the U.S. Army enters the story of the origin of the Hummer. Army leaders decided the militarized civilian trucks they had been using were obsolete and a new vehicle was needed to assure performance on the battlefield if war was to be fought. The military specified what they desired in a new military vehicle, a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and the race was on to design and create a vehicle with the highest standards.
Teledyne and Chrysler Defense were in the forefront of the competition, having already designed such vehicles. Though A.M. General had to start from scratch behind the two favorites, it was this underdog company that created the Hummer.
Of course, the deal was not immediately sealed, and the three competing companies were still testing their creations; A.M. General's Hummer, Teledyne's Cheetah and Chrysler Defense's adaptation of Saluki desert vehicle were each in their prototype phase.
Nevertheless, it was an impressive accomplishment on the part of A.M. General to put the Hummer into the testing phase a mere 11 months after first designing the vehicle. By 1981, the military asked for the three companies to build and send them variants. In April 1982, A.M. General was the first to complete the demanded vehicles and sent their Hummers (the military version was to be called the Humvee) to Yuma, Aberdeen and Fort Hunter-Liggett.
The Hummer proved its worth, completing durability testing and boasting light weight and high performance ratings. By March 1983, the Hummer production contract was awarded and 55,000 were demanded within a five year deadline.
But what qualities of the Humvee enticed the military to place orders and to continue using them today?
In addition to light-weight and high-performance ratings, Humvees are maneuverable, four-wheel-drive-equipped and can be used on all types of terrain during a myriad of weather conditions. They can reach a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour and can ford as much as 2.5 feet of water, and twice that depth with deep water fording kits equipped.
Since their inception and construction, Humvees have been deployed in the U.S. invasion of Panama, Somalia, Kosovo and Iraq. They continue to be a major part of U.S. military forces present across the world.
Today, however, the U.S. Army is looking for Humvee replacements and prototypes are beginning the testing phase to become the military’s newest tactical vehicle. Thus, the golden age of the Hummer on the battlefield may be coming to an end.
But the Hummer has not disappeared. Even in the late 1980s, A.M. General was planning to sell civilian Hummers and, in 1991, these plans were realized. Hummers were produced and sold through General Motors. Since then, there have been three models of civilian Hummers – the original H1, the H2 produced since 2003, and the most recent H3, production of which began this year.
The primary differences between the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee are quite basic; the Hummer lacks armor and weaponry, and an interior made for consumer comfort. The rest of the technically details – drive-train, suspension and body – are the same for both the civilian and military variations of the Hummer.
As with all civilian vehicles, the Hummer also goes through changes – the three models are not the same. While both H1 and H2 are large, heavy, with large engines, the latter is smaller. The H3 is even smaller than the H2, and is more customized to be an everyday person's Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and can ford deeper water than the H2.
These differences aside, many people are fans of the Hummer, but there are also sizeable criticisms. All three models are condemned as major gas-guzzlers and as being too big for the streets. In Consumer Reports online magazine, the H3 was criticized for being clumsy, with lengthy wet stops causing the vehicle to slide, and poor visibility.
Nevertheless, as long as there are consumers looking for a new Hummer, newer versions will surely be produced, and will be made to compensate for the shortcomings of earlier models. Though its military career may have ended, the Hummer's future as a civilian vehicle is not yet in doubt.
Sources:
Consumer Reports. Giselle Benatar. 2006. November 2005 .
Lynch, Jim. History of the Hummer. Lynch Hummer Pre-Owned Hummer Headquarters.
US Army Fact Files. Army Fact File – HMMWV. US Army. 2006. .
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