Background
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Army found it needed a better performing
vehicle to replace a number of vehicles then in use. The specially-designed
M561 Gama Goat used in many operations had proved unsatisfactory, and
there were problems with payload limitations and safety characteristics
of the M151-series Jeeps and civilian trucks adapted for military use.
The Army sought a new jack-of-all trades light tactical vehicle that
could fulfill all the mission requirements of light civilian trucks
and various specially designed Army vehicles.
Thus the concept for the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle
(HMMWV) family was born…on paper. Its history began in 1979 when the
U.S. Army issued a draft specification for a new tactical vehicle to
replace all the tactical vehicles in the ¼- to 1¼-ton range.
Many of the vehicles the HMMWV was to replace were not meeting the military mission requirements. At this
time, the average age of the vehicles the HMMWV was to replace ranged from 10 to 20 years. It would take an
additional six years before production vehicle deliveries actually began.
The military looked for a family of versatile, technologically advanced cross-country vehicles capable of
performing both combat and combat-support roles. The basic chassis was to be capable of being modified into
a number of variants. It was also to be diesel-powered, consistent with the Army's desire to use diesel
fuel throughout its tactical vehicle fleet, and it was to have an automatic transmission.
Prototypes
AM General became one of three contenders that were awarded an Army contract for the design and
construction of 11 prototype HMMWVs (six weapons carriers and five utility vehicles). The other firms were
Chrysler Defense and Teledyne Continental.
Overall, HMMWVs were tested for more than 600,000 miles over rugged courses simulating worldwide off-road
conditions in combat environments. They were driven over rocky hills, through deep sand and mud, in water up
to 60 inches deep, in desert heat and Arctic cold.
Complicated production proposals were required. Winning the contract was based on a combination of the
most technically qualified and most cost-effective five-year production bid.
Contract Awarded
In March 1983, AM General was awarded the initial production contract for 2,334 HMMWVs. This was the
first increment of a five-year contract for nearly 55,000 HMMWVs. These were produced in 15 different
configurations over the term of the contract. Of these vehicles, 39,000 were for the U.S. Army and the
remainder was divided between the Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and Navy.
Production began at AM General's Mishawaka, Indiana plant in the fall of 1984 and the first deliveries
were made early in 1985. The total production by mid-1991 was more than 72,000 vehicles including
international sales.
Follow-on multi-year contract awards called for more than 33,000 vehicles.
By March 1995 approximately 100,000 HMMWVs had been built. An additional
20,000 units were ordered by more than 40 international governments
since 1991. To date, more than 190,000 units have been produced.
During late 2000, AM General was awarded another production contract for 2,962 trucks in the M998A2
series. The contract contained six single-year options running to FY07.
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