Army plans to buy next-gen Humvees - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Army plans to buy next-gen Humvees

In 2009 and 2010, the Army plans to spend about $4.5 billion to buy more than 10,000 Humvees and next-generation variants called the Expanded Capacity Vehicle-2, according to the service’s Aug. 25 Wheeled Tactical Vehicle strategy.

Now undergoing Army testing, the 5- to 6-ton ECV-2 is designed to offer the same payload — 3,500 pounds — as existing Humvees did before extra armor ate into their cargo capacity. And at about half the cost of the Army’s planned Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, ECV-2 purchases might replace some JLTV orders.

“It is the last evolution of the Humvee,” said Col. Timothy Goddette, director of Soldier/Manuever and Sustainment Systems. “We are trying to meet the requirements of the Humvee and buy back the payload and performance lost from all the armor that was put on the up-armored Humvees.”

In 2009, the Army plans to spend about $2.76 billion on Humvees and ECV-2s. That includes the base-budget request for roughly $1 billion, which would buy about 1,000 ECV-2s and about 4,000 standard Humvees, according to Army budget documents. The total also includes another $1.62 billion and more than 5,000 Humvees and ECV-2s requested in the 2009 supplemental, a figure that has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel.

In 2010, the Army plans to spend at least $1.7 billion on Humvees, the documents say. The documents call for a total Army fleet of 141,000 light tactical vehicles by 2010, up from about 120,000 now.

Each JLTV is expected to cost $418,000, a hefty price tag that could lead the Army to buy more ECV-2s, especially for general-purpose, non-combat use, in which the JLTV’s electronics, protection, exportable power and optional trailer are less crucial.

The price of the various ECV-2 variants will range from $133,000 to $230,000. A typical vehicle might cost roughly $150,000, plus $30,000 for electronics and radios, plus more thousands for armor, an industry source said.

Today’s M1151, M1152 and M1165 Humvees cost from $130,000 to $170,000 apiece.

Built to accept add-on armor and lightweight composites as they become available, the ECV-2 seeks to incorporate lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“As the war in southwest Asia progressed, we took feedback from soldiers in the field who said when you start adding armor to it, you eat up payload,” said Larry Day, an executive with AM General, which makes the Humvee and the ECV-2. “With water, extra food and ammunition, the payload goes up, so you need to improve the reliability of the truck. The focus of the truck was to return the original Humvee payload. We incorporated structured capabilities into the design ... so that it could handle extra weight.

“We’ve boosted the power by improving the cooling system and other things. Also, by moving the engine forward and placing the vehicle higher off the ground, we’ve created a more spacious crew compartment,” AM General spokesman Steve Clawson said. “It has a computer-controlled engine for the first time on a Humvee. It uses electronic controls to optimize performance and provide diagnostics.”

AM General has given the Army roughly 15 ECV-2 prototypes, some of which have undergone extensive mobility and off-road testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. More tests are planned for early 2009, Army officials said.

But already, Army Training and Doctrine Command analysis favors the ECV-2 over up-armored versions of today’s Humvee, the Wheeled Tactical Vehicle strategy documents say.

Day said the ECV 2 will be ready in 2009 for contract modifications and released for deployment by 2010.

“The JLTV could not enter low-rate production until 2010 or 2011 at the absolute earliest, and the Army is planning on 2013 or so,” said national security lawyer and consultant Jim McAleese. “As a result, we will see Humvee production that will transition over to ECV-2. Historically, they have been funding fresh Humvee production at a range of approximately $1 billion a year plus $1.6 billion tucked into emergency supplementals. The ECV-2 vehicles are going to be 15 to 30 percent more expensive, so that means that in order to be able to buy the same quantity, the Army will need to increase the budget. You will see a transition over time to the ECV-2.”

Three development contracts for the JLTV are expected in October, with first deployment expected in 2012.

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