Hummer Historie

Historie přímo od AM General

On March 22, 1983 the U. S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command awarded the AM General Division of LTV Aerospace and Defense [now AM General Corporation] a $1.2 billion contract to produce 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV, pronounced Humvee®), to be delivered in 15 different configurations over a five year period.
The contract included an option to increase the number of vehicles purchased by 100 percent during each of the five option years. The Army eventually ordered an additional 15,000 option vehicles raising the totals to 70,000 vehicles and $1.6 billion. It was the largest multiyear contract for tactical wheeled vehicles ever awarded by the U.S. Army.

Known officially as the M998 Series and nicknamed the HUMMER®, this technologically advanced 1 1/4-ton, 4x4, multipurpose vehicle answered the armed forces' need for superior mobility in a tactical field environment. It was versatile, mobile, and fast, and replaced an assortment of vehicles, including: some M151s (1/4-ton utility vehicles [the old "jeep"]), all M274s (1/4-ton Mules), all M561s (1-1/2-ton Gama Goats), and some M880s (1 1/4-ton pick-up trucks).

HMMWVs were tested for more than 600,000 miles over rugged courses simulating worldwide off-road conditions in combat environments. Drivers from the Army and AM General did everything possible to make them fail. They drove HMMWVs over rocky hills, through deep sand and mud, in water up to 60 inches deep, in desert heat and Arctic cold. Still, HMMWVs passed with flying colors.
As a centerpiece of the Army's vehicular force modernization, HMMWVs are air transportable, maintainable, reliable, and survivable. They meet all of these requirements while incorporating new standards of reliability for combat vehicles. HMMWVs score high on Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Durability (RAM-D) requirements and specifications. During Initial Production Tests, the new vehicle proved to be nearly twice as durable as the Army required.

Another advantage the HMMWV has over other vehicles is its unique multipurpose platform. Its 15 configurations (cargo/troop carriers, weapons carriers, ambulances, and shelter carriers) share a common engine, chassis and transmission, with 44 interchangeable parts. That means fewer training hours are necessary for the mechanics who will maintain it. Its simplified supply, maintenance and logistics system — essentially one set of common parts for 15 configurations — means lower life cycle costs, which saves tax dollars.
High ground clearance is a prerequisite for superior mobility. The HMMWV has it — a full 16 inches — an engineering feat considering that the HMMWV stands only 72 inches high. Full-time four- wheel drive, independent suspension, steep approach and departure angles, 60 percent slope-climbing and 60 inch water-fording capability combine with its high ground clearance to make the HMMWV an exceptional off-road vehicle.

The original M998 has a curb weight of approximately 5,200 lbs., a payload of 2,500 lbs. and a 6.2 liter V-8 diesel engine, with a 25-gallon fuel tank. It can accelerate from 0-30 mph in eight seconds, and has a range of up to 300 miles without refueling. The current comparable model, the M1097A2, weighs only 700 lbs. more, at 5,900 lbs., but can carry almost twice the payload, at 4,400 lbs. It has a 6.5 liter V-8 diesel engine.

The HMMWV is a lean, light, and compact vehicle. Three HMMWVs can be deployed in the C-130 Hercules transport, six in the C-141B Starlifter and 15 in the C-5A Galaxy. Under combat conditions, it can be delivered by the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System without the aircraft having to land. In tactical operations, two HMMWVs can be slung from a CH-47 Chinook or a CH-53 helicopter, while one can be slung from a UH-60A Blackhawk.

The performance potential of the HMMWV has been described as unlimited, due to its multipurpose platform and its ability to accommodate a wide range of weapons, including 7.62 mm and .50 caliber machine guns, and the MK 19 40 mm grenade launcher. The weapons carrier HMMWV has anti-tank lethality in the form of the TOW missile system.

The HMMWV's adaptability and capacity for accommodating a wide range of systems on a common platform will make it a major contributor to tactical operations of U.S. and friendly forces well into the 21st century.

The HMMWV was selected by the Army over two competitors, after many months of intensive testing by the Army and the Marine Corps. The winning design incorporated high ground clearance, low silhouette, forward visibility and minimum weight — all combined with ease of operation and reliability.

A principal aim of the award-winning HMMWV design was initial value and low lifetime costs. To help meet that aim, the body is made entirely of aluminum. In December 1984 the Aluminum Association announced from Washington, DC that the HMMWV was the grand prize winner in the 1984 Automotive Aluminum Engineering Design Competition, for best use of aluminum's light weight, strength and corrosion resistance in an automotive application.

AM General Corporation is the world-leader in the design, engineering and production of military and special purpose vehicles, with a history of more than 50 years’ experience. AM General manufactures the HMMWV in Mishawaka, Indiana. Since production of HMMWVs began in 1985, the company has delivered more than 150,000 of the versatile, 4-wheel drive vehicles to the U.S. Armed Forces and over 30 friendly overseas nations.

Historie AM General v češtině

1903
HUMMERovy kořeny sahají až do roku 1903, kdy se firma STANDARD WHEEL COMPANY, TERRE HAUTE IND. výrobce kol, rozhodla proniknout do automobilového průmyslu přes svou nově vzniklou společnost OVERLAND AUTOMOTIVE DIVISION. Společnost předvedla terénní "vozítko" jako jejich první motorové vozidlo.

1908
Společnost OVERLAND koupil John North WILLYS.

1912
Vznik WILLYS - OVERLAND COMPANY. Nová společnost začala vyrábět slavnou sérii vozidel WILLYS KNIGHT a později představila model "WHIPPET".

1940
WILLYS OVERLAND vyrobil originální "JEEP" a vyrobil více než 350.000 těchto legendárních 4x4 vozidel.

1953
WILLYS - OVERLAND koupil Henry J. Kaiser, který přejmenoval společnost na WILLYS MOTORS INC. Její jméno se časem změnilo na KAISER - JEEP CORPORATION, následně společnost získala kontrakty po zaniklé společnosti STUDEBAKER CORPORATION k výrobě vojenských náklaďáků.

1970
Koupí AMERICAN MOTORS CORPORATION a přejmenováním na JEEP CORPORATION, se společnost rozdělila na dvě divize - COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS DIVISION a GENERAL PRODUCTS DIVISION.

1971
GENERAL PRODUCTS DIVISION se osamostatnila, a stala se součástí AMERICAN MOTORS později známou jako AM GENERAL CORPORATION.

1979
Historie HUMMERu začíná v tomto roce, vyhlášením soutěže U.S. ARMY na konstrukci armádního vozu (HMMWV) terénního víceúčelového kolového vozu.

1980
V červenci byl prototyp HUMMERu testován v Nevadské poušti - méně než jeden rok od návrhu.

1981
U.S. ARMY v první etapě uzavřela smlouvu s AM GENERAL na první prototyp vozu.

1982
AM GENERAL dodala prvních jedenáct prototypů Americké vládě.

1983
V březnu AM GENERAL uzavřela smlouvu na 55.000 vozidel pro U.S. military. Výroba začala v dubnu. Koncem roku AM GENERAL CORPORATION prodala AMERICAN MOTORS firmě LTV CORPORATINONS.

1984
Byl vyroben první Hummer.

1985
Sériová výroba Hummeru začala.

1986
Kanceláře společnosti AM GENERAL se přesídlili do South Bend IND. jako konstrukční kanceláře do Livonia v Michiganu.

1989
AM GENERAL podepsala další smlouvu na 33.331 vojenských vozidel.

1990
Návrh na civilní verzi HUMMERu.

1991
AM GENERAL informovala o civilní verzi HUMMERa.

1992
100.000 vojenský Hummer
prodán první civilní Hummer
zahájena výroba civilní verze Hummeru
společnost byla prodána jeho současnému majiteli RENCO GROUP INC.

1993
AM GENERAL rozšířila svou výrobu pro armádu, když získala smlouvu na úpravu a modernizaci více než 2.400 starých M44A2.

1994
Zahájení výroby nového modelu M35A3.

1994-95
U.S. ARMY uzavřela s AM GENERAL smlouvu na 1.200 a 8.800 HMMWV, jenž by měly být vyrobeny do roku 2000. Ta zaručuje výrobu celkového počtu vyrobených HUMMERů pro armády U.S.A a spojenců na konečný stav 140.000 kusů.

1996
V severní Americe byl na mezinárodní AUTO SHOW představen první Hummer s motorem TURBO DIESEL.

2002

Nástup nové generace: Hummer H2