Iconic Humvee could soon be an Army relic as military seeks safer vehicles for troops
By Carly Everson, APFriday, February 12, 2010
Indiana-made Humvee could soon be an Army relic
INDIANAPOLIS — The Army’s long relationship with the hulking Humvee could be coming to an end as it seeks better ways to protect soldiers from roadside bombs in war zones.
The Army’s proposed budget doesn’t include money for the all-terrain Humvees produced by Mishawaka, Ind.-based AM General. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings says the 2,620 vehicles the Army already has ordered will be the last it buys.
The Humvee gained popularity in the 1991 Gulf War and became a cultural icon after then-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger persuaded AM General to make a civilian version.
But concerns over its safety rose as insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan developed powerful improved explosive devices. IEDs killed at least 1,700 soldiers in Iraq as of January.
