Out with the old, in with the new. Open backs are no longer authorized, and even these will be replaced with the newer 1151's. Some interesting shots:


Not SF but still interesting:

Great detail shots! At first glance the first image didn't even look like a HMMWV. The box antenna is BFT and the aerials SINCGARS and what are the two small yellow and blue stripped ones?
Jeff will like the bottom image ;o)
So when you say open backs are not allowed anymore, does that include SF vehicles as well? If so what are they driving now?
Any pics of the 1151's? Are they deriviatives of the 1114?
Great to see new Humvee's again, lots of model potential.
Bill

Very interesting pics. The makeshift scoop over the air intake is notable. It seems that the FBCB2 is somehow connected to the rear antenna. I also am curious about the two antennas infront of the FBCB2 antenna. The IA humvee is a nice shot too. Thanks.

Jeff

For a lack of a better description M1151s are the new M1114.

You should check this out

The article leaves out several improvements made that I will not mention. Those I will mention are BOSE headsets for inter-team comms, windows that slide side to side rather than up and down, and easier to open doors with a simpler latch mechanism. Unfortunately, the chassis is so heavy (they're heavier than the 17,000 pound 1114's they are replacing) that the rear wheels are eating through the wheel wells and knocking out the A/C.

Interesting article on the 1151's, thanks for that. Is there a way to recognize the 1151's besides what 18 Bravo said about the windows sliding sideways, like Land rovers did? I'd like to see the new door opening mechanism as well. In the article they mention the ambulance upgrade, have you seen pictures of one in the field yet? The reason I ask is because I have an (Academy) Maxi ambulance that needs an overhaul.
It'd be great to get a walk around of this new upgraded HMMWV.
Bill

I didn't photograph the 1151 yet but the doors are a lot less complex than these:

I'll take more pics when I can.

The main way to ID an M1151 is the AC unit is moved to the right rear wheel well (you can see the mesh exhaust grille mesh there rather than on the left rear side of the hatchback like the M1114s.

Glad to hear that. Those doors always struck me as violating KISS. Pete received some M1151s in his shop some months ago, I've been trying to find the pictures, but have only come up with a couple, none of them showing doors....

Jeff

Jeff--here is a link to Pete's M1151 pictures on Primeportal:

http://www.primeportal.net/hummers/epifanio_becerra/m1151/

Notice that the stock, unarmored M1151s have the standard "X" stamped doors (look at page 2).

Here's a comparison picture of an uparmored M1151 and an M1114 that I whipped up a while back for a previous thread. From what I understand, there are several modular armor packages that can be installed on an M1151 to customize its protection, so the one shown in this picture is probably not the only configuration out there (or even a common, for all I know). The circled areas are where I noticed differences. The M1151 is at the top, the M1114 at the bottom.



Hope this helps!

Thanks Lucas and Jeff for explaining the differences between the two. It'll take a sharp eye to sort them out in the fray. Gotta love Prime Portal. The new AC grills along the left and right side will be the most obvious signature for me. Is the plumbing for the AC is in those deep rear wheel wells and with a big load on rough roads it gets beat up? Was the switch from high on the rear left cab to the side fenders an effort to free up interior space some how? From what I've seen in photos, the interior of the 1114 seemed pretty crowded with all the AC stuff in the rear, but essential for the hot climates.
Thanks for links and explanations.
Bill

Don't know if it was for interior space reasons, but it does take a beating and I read somewhere that it is almost moot because of the turret hatch almost always being open for the gunner. Remember your mom always telling you to shut the door when you left the house?

Jeff

I just saw this so I'll answer it now. Since the article said prototype deliveries were NLT April and production models by August, photos will probably be very hard to come by, though you could do a search on Army publications (Army Times, Soldier, army.mil, etc) or just google the name. My guess (and only a guess) is it looks like a Maxi ambulance but with all the improvements of an uparmored humvee (armored grille, armored doors, etc) It already had AC for the climate control of its patients, but I wonder if they moved it from the top front of the patient section to the sides like an M1151. Hmm. Well just have to wait and see. I'd definitely like to know who gets the first batches.

Jeff

Actually, aside from its poor location and vulnerability to damage, the A/C is quite robust, and appreciated. The ones in which the A/C has gone down can become uncomfortable pretty quickly. The upgunner has so much kit on that he practically seals the hatch opening. So much so that it's very difficult to get below for more .50 cal ammo.
As it turns out, I DO have a few 1151 pics, but most need to be cleaned up.
This one shows the Mk 93 mods to accept a 40mm can for extra ammo, which is pretty standard. The one in the background (left) also shows an additional field mod to allow for another 40mm box to be mounted to the side of the turret.

Here's a nice shot of the "office"-the hand crank was a nice improvement.

The electric joystick shown on this one is even better, and will be standard for ours.

Thank for the clarification and the photos, I'll have to relook where I read that to make sure the source was credible. The photos are always nice to have.

Jeff

Is this the new door?



Jeff

I think those are the new doors--at least they fit the description: side-opening windows, simpler latch.

Nice to see them fitted on an M1152.

18 Bravo
"Frenchy" is on the case and found a couple M 1151's. Clearly the AC grill is going to be the give away.

Bill

Here's an interesting field mod (from Flikr) :

"U.S. Army and Polish Special Forces advance on militia gunmen during Operation Jackal on June 3, 2007 in Diwaniyah,Iraq.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt)"

2 gunners are better than one

Frenchy

HP or "Hawk eye" good find! Must be one of the more unusual variant modifications I've seen. I was going to say that the motor pool wouldn't be happy with some one modifying a M1114 but they probably just removed the back hatch and built up the steel box inside. So much for the AC. Here we go again, the need for field modification for a design to be functional. The HMMWV is being morphed into something it was never intended to be OR something it needs to become.

Is this what the HMMWV needs to become on the extreme end of it's intended use?
By the way, what are the ferret like vehicles?
Great image Frenchy
Bill

Hi Bill

These are M1117 Guardian ASVs ( Armored Security Vehicle ) :
Some info on Globalsecurity :
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/asv.htm
Some pics on Primeportal :
http://www.primeportal.net/apc/apc_home.htm#m1117

HTH
Frenchy

Frenchy
Are there model kits available for this vehicle? I have never seen it before. Clearly the size alone keeps it off the small streets where the HMMWV's roam but it was downsized in width and made the turret smaller you'd have a great vehicle for urban warfare.
How does it fare with IED's.
Thanks for the links I'll check this out.
Bill

AFAIK there's no 1/35th scale kit for this vehicle ..But here's a nice scratchbuilt one (by Shane MacKay, a.k.a. sapper141) :
http://news.webshots.com/album/337784942iduXSS?start=0

On a side note, both MR Model and CMK have released a resin 1/87th scale M1117
I think we're starting digressing now

Frenchy

Bill, If I recall correctly, the armor on the M1117s is not that much more than an M1114. It is simply a security vehicle and doesn't have the versatility of a humvee, I also think its harder to enter/exit the vehicle too. Whether we need more or not I think is kind of moot in the face of MRAP. But thats me.

When Jesse James (ie Monster Machines and West Coast Choppers) did an hour special, he did a little gunnery with some Ranger-used uparmored humvees without the back hatch that had an M134 minigun in the gunner's hatch and two M240Bs on swing arms in the back bed.

BTW The motorpool is the place where the conversions were done, so I don't think they have much a problem with it. About the only problem that comes from it is getting the authorization to do it, and if they turn their equipment over to another unit when they leave, it can cause some headaches.

Jeff