The Latest from Cactus Tactical: Weapons of the War in Afghanistan: HMMWVs in Afghanistan

Weapons of the War in Afghanistan

In the world of war, weapons and technology are ever changing, each war is characterized by the weapons and tactics used to fight it. As new environments and enemies are encountered, the parties to those wars develop new - more effective tactics, technologies, and weapons to counter and defeat their adversaries. The ingenuity seen in war has existed since (and most certainly before) the first wars of recorded history and continue to this very day.

Keeping with that theory, let’s take a look at the weapons that have characterized the wars and conflicts that the United States has been a party to over the course of it’s history. During the course of this series, I aim to breakdown the weapons used in each conflict by their classification, and to which party they were employed by. Having served in combat operations in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, I would like to start our series with the War in Afghanistan.

For our fourteenth installment let's take a look at the most common HMMWVs in Afghanistan. HMMWVs first saw combat in Operation Just Cause, the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, and continued service through the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. In 2007, the US Military began a process of phasing out HMMWVs with MRAPs, M-ATVs, and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).

ELITE TACTICAL SYSTEMS AR-15 30 ROUND MAGAZINE WITH COUPLER

Part I: The United States

M1025

The HMMWV was designed primarily for personnel and light cargo transport behind front lines, not as a front line fighting vehicle. Like the previous jeep, the basic HMMWV has no armor or protection against chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats. Nevertheless, losses were relatively low in conventional operations, such as the Gulf War. Vehicles and crews suffered considerable damage and losses during the Battle of Mogadishu due to the nature of the urban engagement; however, the chassis survivability allowed the majority of those crews to return to safety, though the HMMWV was never designed to offer protection against intense small arms fire, much less machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. However, with the rise of asymmetric warfare and low intensity conflicts, the HMMWV was pressed into service in urban combat roles for which it was not originally intended.

The M1025/M1026 and M1043/M1044 armament carriers provide mounting and firing capabilities for the M134 Minigun, the Mk 19 grenade launcher, the M2 heavy machine gun, the M240G/B machine gun and M249 LMG.

The M1025/M1026 and M1043/M1044 armament carriers were also eventually fitted with add-on armor kits. The armor kits fielded include the Armor Survivability Kit (ASK). The ASK was the first fielded, in October 2003, adding about 1,000 pounds to the weight of the vehicle. Armor Holdings fielded an even lighter kit, adding only 750 pounds to the vehicle's weight.

Most up-armored HMMWVs hold up well against lateral attacks, when the blast is distributed in all different directions, but offers little protection from a mine blast below the truck, such as buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and land mines. Explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) can also defeat the armor kits, causing casualties.

CMC TRIGGER, DROP IN FLAT SINGLE STAGE, SMALL PIN

M1114

The M1114 "up-armored" HMMWV, also features a similar weapons mount to the M1025. In addition, some M1114 and M1116 up-armored Vehicle models feature a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS), which allows the gunner to operate from inside the vehicle, and/or the Boomerang anti-sniper detection system.

The shortfalls of the XM1109 were corrected in the M1114, which began production in 1995. The M1113 heavy HMMWV chassis was selected by the Army as its A2 chassis for HMMWV purchases, originally used for special operations vehicles and communications shelter carriers. The M1113 had the capacity to bear the weight of the additional ballistic protection design, allowing an increase in GVW. The M1114 used the improved M1113 chassis, also adding air conditioning, a turbo-charged engine and a larger radiator. This gave the vehicle the versatility of the standard HMMWV coupled with the survivability of the new protective armor kit.

The trial for the M1114 came in Afghanistan where M1114s were tested in harsh combat and brutal terrain.

MAGPUL PMAG MOE 30RD MAGLEVEL WINDOW GEN M2 MAGAZINE - BLACK

M1151

Improvements led to the development of the M1151 model, which quickly rendered the previous models obsolete. By replacing the M1114, M1116, and earlier armored HMMWV types with a single model, the U.S. Army hoped to lower maintenance costs.

The M1151 Enhanced Armament Carrier is an improved version of the standard Humvee (HMMWV) designed to replace the M1025A2 used by the United States Armed Forces as a response to United States Central Command requirements.

The M1151 HMMWV has a heavier chassis and improved engine to handle add-on armor. It is built on an Expanded Capacity Vehicle chassis, which allows for more passengers or additional supplies (up to 2,300 lbs).

Its two- or four-seat variant is the M1152 Enhanced Troop/Cargo/Shelter Carrier, designed to replace the M1097A2 Heavy HMMWV and M1113 Expanded Capacity Vehicle.

AM General of South Bend, Ind., was awarded a $59,963,442 contract for 814 M1152s and 31 M1151s and a $19,617,847 contract to buy and install armor kits for the M1151

One of the latest iteration of the Humvee series can be seen in the M1151A1 and later up-armored A1-versions. It has a stronger suspension and larger 6.5 liter turbo-diesel engine to accommodate the weight of up to 1,500 lb of additional armor. The armor protection can be installed or taken off depending on the operating environment, so the vehicles can move more efficiently without armor when there is no threat of attack. There is some underbody armor that moderately protects against mines and roadside bombs. Other improvements include Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) windows that can be quickly removed so troops inside can escape in the event of a rollover, jammed door, or the vehicle catching fire, and a blast chimney that vents the force of a bomb blast upwards and away from the occupants. The M1151A1 has a crew of four, can carry 2,000 lb of payload, and can tow a 4,000 lb load. On roads, it has a top speed of 50 mph and a range of 300 mi.