Hammer is a general-purpose military vehicle developed by AM General (American Motors General) in 1981 by order of the United States Defense Department.
Army ATV Project
In the seventies of the last century, the leadership of the American military structures came to the conclusion that cargo all-terrain vehicles supplied by civilian manufacturers did not fully meet army requirements. There was a need for a special multi-purpose transport for regular units of the US Army. In 1979, work began on a large-scale project to create a wheeled super-all-terrain vehicle, which received the designation HMMWV. The car had to carry fast-firing weapons and had armored protection. In the summer of the same year, AM General began to implement the project and less than a year later the first prototype under the M998 index, had already passed field tests and was adopted by the military commission. After refinement, the all-terrain vehicle was recommended for mass production.
On the basis of the approved M998, two more models of the SUV were created: M1025 and M1026. In 1980, 500 General Hammers were produced at AM General's factories, and the plan for the period from 1981 to 1985 was to produce 55,000 cars.
In 1989, the Hammer military, a super-class car, participated in Operation Just Cause during the US Army invasion of Panama. After the "baptism of fire" the all-terrain vehicle became the main vehicle in the US troops.
Combat use
Initially, the Hammer, a military transporter, was used only for transporting infantry and was not considered a combat vehicle. The car did not have strong protection and was vulnerable to all types of weapons, including single shots of the enemy, not to mention automatic bursts. However, the all-terrain vehicle in most cases managed to get out of a collision with the enemy, saved a surviving chassis, swap wheels and a powerful engine.
Reservation
However, it soon became clear that the Hammer, an unarmed military truck, needed more security. And then the AM General company developed the M1114 model with an armored hull. There was no mass production, the machine was manufactured piecewise and in small batches. However, after several Hammers died in Iraq from direct partisan attacks using grenade launchers, the release of the all-terrain vehicle was transferred to the armored version of Up-Armor. At the same time, they strengthened the suspension and installed a new, more powerful turbocharged diesel engine. All the windows in the windows were replaced by bulletproof ones.
Inability to combat conditions
The process of turning the Hammer into a combat vehicle continued, and it soon became clear that the vehicle was losing its driving performance due to a significant weighting of the body. Powerful sheets of armor protecting the cockpit and passenger compartment significantly increased the center of gravity of the car, which negatively affected its handling. In addition, the combat use of the all-terrain vehicle was fully impossible due to its vulnerability to mine explosions, which easily destroyed the thin bottom of the vehicle.
Modernization
Military Hammer Characteristics which did not meet the requirements of combat standards, needed a radical revision. The car, equipped with small arms on the roof, did not have any devices to protect the machine gunner. Of course, if the machine was created as a means of warfare, the degree of protection of personnel would be much higher. And now I had to modify the design on the go to increase the combat effectiveness of the all-terrain vehicle.
Hammer Military: Technical Specifications
In 1995, mass production of the M1114 model was launched on the upgraded ECV chassis. This is a Hammer military jeep with an extended track and maximized dimensions, which did not always allow landing the car, since the all-terrain vehicle was not placed on every aircraft.
The capacity of the all-terrain vehicle is 2 tons. The maximum speed of a car with a Chevrolet engine is 88 km / h. The speed of an all-terrain vehicle with a Detroit Diesel V8 diesel turbocharged engine reaches 135 km / h. Fuel consumption within 23 liters per 100 kilometers. Wheel formula 4 x 4.
Power point
The American military "Hammer" is equipped with several types of engines. Of gasoline engines, a Chevrolet V8 is used, the volume of the cylinders is 5373 cc / cm, with a capacity of 135 liters. with., the traction of which is enough to move the car in the field with a full load, but not enough for high-speed driving on the highway, as the transmission uses low gear ratios.
Detroit Diesel V8 engine, turbocharged diesel engine developing 195 l. C., with a cylinder volume of 6,450 cubic / cm.
Both motors are equipped with a hydromechanical 4-speed automatic machine brand GM 4L80-E, manufactured by General Motors.
Overall weight characteristics
The Hammer car (USA, military) has the following dimensions:
- body length - 4600 mm;
- height - 1800 mm;
- width - 2100 mm;
- wheelbase - 3300 mm;
- track - 1829 mm;
- gross weight - 4672 kg;
- Net weight - 2676 kg.
Hammer today
Currently, American specialists are developing an original form of protection based on the BAE Systems system used for operational army units. The arrow seat is protected by 50 mm steel plates. The latest HMMWVs are equipped with a remote-controlled small-caliber multiple launch rocket system. Thus, shooting can be conducted without leaving the cockpit. On certain modifications of the Hammer, the Boomerang system is installed, which counteracts sniper attacks. The options embedded in the device allow you to instantly determine the location of a sniper and destroy it with return fire.
Some countries in Europe and North Africa are buying Hammer for internal use, namely to suppress the intense conflicts that spontaneously arise on their territory. The maneuverable all-terrain vehicle is easily equipped with water-cannons, stationary rocket launchers and bomb throwers for firing drafts with tracking gas. The American military "Hammer", the price of which does not bother the government of countries with turbulent political conditions, is ideal for these purposes.
More and more armored "Hammers" are being manufactured, cars are being purchased by third countries for their law enforcement services, for the military police and patrol patrols. In 2007, control of the US Marine Corps requested an intention to replace the MRAP high-explosive armored vehicles with a Hammer, due to the frequent rollover of high MRAP self-propelled guns and their insufficient patency.
Modifications
Over the 35 years of Hammer’s production, more than thirty different modifications of the all-terrain vehicle have been created. In the list of main options that are mass-produced and operating in army units for their intended purpose:
- IMETS - mobile weather service;
- Ground Mobility Vehicle - a mobile communications vehicle;
- Lazer System - artillery laser system to neutralize the enemy;
- M1109 - model of increased security with small arms;
- M1097 - heavy HMMWV Avenger;
- M1069 - light artillery tractor for guns with a caliber of 100 mm;
- M1046 - a machine of increased security with a TOW complex of anti-tank action;
- M1045 - conveyor of increased security, with a TOW complex and a winch;
- M1044 - a machine equipped with weapons and a winch;
- M1042 - conveyor for transportation of equipment S250, with a winch;
- M1038 - cargo version with a winch;
- M1036 - armored vehicle with a winch and a TOW complex;
- M1035 - ambulance with a soft tent and a four-door cabin;
- M997 - an ambulance conveyor with a 4-seater cabin, armored;
- M996 - ambulance with a double cab, armored;
- M966 - HMMWV, armored, with TOW anti-tank system;
- M56 - smoke machine "Coyote".
Scouts and demining machines
Based on the M1114 chassis, a Hammer modification was created for autonomous two-week traffic, with a crew of four and an increased level of ballistic protection. The armored hull reflects the attack of 7 mm bullets from automatic weapons, air-blast shells, as well as the explosive action of anti-tank mines. The car is painted in sandy camouflage for camouflage and allows reconnaissance surveillance of objects at a distance of 800 meters.
Modification M1115 is intended for demining operations of territories, buildings, hangars, warehouses and underground structures. The machine contains all the necessary equipment for the search for mines and high-explosive shells, as well as a set of devices that provide for the detonation and disposal of found ammunition. The equipment of the special machine includes sets of clothes for sappers engaged in subversive operations.
"Hammer M1116" is an armored landing vehicle designed for parachuting from a transport aircraft with a crew of four.
Cost
A Hammer military classification car is not often found in car dealerships in Russia, the few cars that are for sale are quite expensive. The price range ranges from 730,000 rubles for an old all-terrain vehicle requiring repair, up to 6 million 650 thousand for a car in good condition, the last year of release.