New vehicle - it's here!!!!!!

The long-awaited successor to the Humvee family has finally made it through testing and is now on the assembly line, waiting to be delivered to troops. The All-Terrain Armored Transport vehicle, which has not yet been given an M-series nomenclature, is much larger than any of its predecessors, as well as having an increased passenger capacity, while fufilling its primary role to protect troops from IED attacks. The new heavily-armored vehicle weighs in at a whopping 250 tons, stands almost 100 feet tall, and can carry a company-sized element comfortably in its body, while a two-man crew operates the vehicle from a forward compartment, which testers colloquially referred to as the "head".

Another difference in the new vehicle is its unique manner of locomotion. Admiral Lawrence Ackbar, head of the joint services committee which developed the vehicle, speaks out:

"We didn't want a wheeled vehicle, because it would be too vulnerable to mobility kills from roadside bombs. But we knew that tracks weren't the answer, either, because we wanted it to work anywhere. So we came up with an idea from a prototype that was originally designed for Arctic terrain - legs."

The four-legged behemoth sits so high above the ground, that even the strongest VBIED will barely be felt by its occupants. Innovation is not without its difficulties though, as Ackbar reveals:

"We had some initial problems with the legs getting tangled by vehicles or low-flying aircraft using ropes as a trip-wire effect. Also, there was the possibility of a lone operative rappelling up to the underside of the body of the vehicle and using a cutting tool or a small explosive device to penetrate the hull. However, we feel that we've worked these kinks out."

What's next for the inventive team?

"We're still working on a smaller, two-legged version of the vehicle," said researcher David E. Wok, "But we're still trying to come up with the right balance between mobility and protection. During one exercise, we had two of these bipedal models severely damaged by OPFOR, both by very simple means. Once they collapsed a pile of rocks on the vehicle, and the other time, they tied two heavy logs to ropes and swung them together, bludgeoning the vehicle between them. When primitive methods such as these are effective in stopping the latest in modern technology, you know you've got a problem."

The Department of Defense estimates that the initial four prototypes will be available for use by front-line troops as soon as early 2016, with full production beginning by spring or summer of 2021.

Back to Issue One