Sunday, December 05, 2004

Up-armored HUMMVs

We seem to be getting a good quantity of the up-armored HUMMVs for our trip North. Some of them are brand new. They have bullet proof glass that is about 2 inches thick, and armor plates on doors, and surrounding the passenger compartment. The have air-conditioning and an internal communication system. They have panels that are supposed to identify it as a friendly vehicle to US aircraft. All this makes them much heavier than the un-modified ones. They also have larger engines and stronger suspensions.

They tend to be top heavy, and we have had several accidents with them so far. A flip and a couple of rollovers. No significant injuries to soldiers, thankfully. In each case, the soldiers were wearing seatbelts and helmets, whihc reduced injuries. In one case, the HUMMV had just pulled onto the highway and a speeding Kuwaiti rammed it from the rear, flipping it over. Soldiers were OK, but not so the Kuwaiti.

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