From a military automotive turned commercial at the request of a film star to massive trucks
able to withstand over 30 pounds of explosives, today we look at Incredible Vehicles Of The
US Army.
Number 14.
Medium Tactical Vehicles Forming the backbone of the United States
Army are the FMTV, or family of Medium Tactical Vehicles.
These great load-bearing trucks are an essential element in keeping the military running smoothly
due to their role in transporting all the various cargo of the U.S. Army.
Originally composed of 17 different variants, these trucks share a common chassis, but are
altered to fulfill a wide variety of purposes and payloads.
Today there are dozens of different Medium Tactical Vehicles, equipped with different
tools, seats, and carrying capacities ranging from 2.5 to 10 tons.
Number 13.
MQ-1C Gray Eagle The MQ-1C Gray Eagle from General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems is an unmanned aircraft designed for medium-altitude, long-endurance
combat missions.
It was originally created to compete in the U.S. Army's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle competition
in 2002, with General Atomics hoping to win a government contract as a result of their
demonstration.
They beat out their only competitor in the Northrop Grumman Hunter II, and as of 2013
General Atomics have developed more than 75 individual models for the U.S. Army, with
152 more in the works.
More than 4.7 billion dollars have been spent on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle project so far, and
the U.S. Army has put this investment into great use, deploying Gray Eagles on missions
since Afghanistan in 2010.
Number 12.
Humvees Made popular by the civilian versions that
entered mainstream rotation following the first purchase by famous actor-turned-politician
Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992, the HUMVEE has actually served the U.S. Army since 1983.
These broad vehicles were initially made to replace the use of jeeps and other lightweight
tactical vehicles ranging from a quarter to 1.25 tons.
The term Humvee derives from the vehicles full name as the High Mobility Multipurpose
Wheeled Vehicle, a terminology referencing its role as a "jack-of-all-trades" vehicle
capable of handling the tasks of many of its predecessors.
Over 281 thousand of these vehicles have been made to date and they continue to be employed
on a regular basis.
Since 2011, just one of these Humvees with current armor specifications fetches a price
tag of 220 thousand dollars.
Number 11.
MH-6 Little Bird Specializing in observation, patrol insertion
and extraction, deep air support and forward air control, the MH-6 Little Bird is a crucial
part of the U.S. Army's aerial squadron.
The MH-6 was created to replace the OH-6, another light observation helicopter that
entered service in 1960.
By 1963, the Army was ready to test out modified prototypes, upgrading the engine of the OH-6
for greater speed and maneuverability.
This upgraded model, which featured an Allison T63-A-5A engine, caught on and beat out other
prototypes, and by 1965 the U.S. Army was ready to order 1,300 individual helicopters.
These unarmed choppers, along with their gunship counterpart the AH-6, have been used in most
every major militaristic endeavor since their inception.
They have since spawned over a dozen different versions, outfitted with all different means
of weaponry and tactical equipment.
Number 10.
CH-47 Chinook The CH-47 Chinook , developed first by rotorcraft
company Vertol before being acquired by Boeing in 1960, is one of the heaviest lifting helicopters
to come out of the Western world.
This helicopter named after the Native American tribe of modern day Washington weighs over
24 thousand pounds with no payload and has a maximum takeoff weight of 50 thousand pounds!
It can speed through the sky at a top speed of 170 knots, the equivalent of 196 miles
per hour, and is among the fastest helicopters in the U.S. Army.
Over 1,200 of these aircraft have been built to serve in America as well as the United
Kingdom's Royal Air Force at a cost of more than 38 million dollars per unit.
Number 9.
M-ATV The Oshkosh M-ATV was built to combine the
protective capabilities of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles like the Cougar
or Buffalo with the mobility of Humvees.
The 27,500-pound vehicle entered production in 2009, and nearly 10 thousand have been
built to date at a price tag of 470 thousand dollars each.
The M-ATV is meant to carry one driver, three passengers and one gunner, and can haul a
maximum payload of 4 thousand pounds.
The roof-mounted armament is designed to where it can be operated remotely or manually, depending
on the situation.
Manual use gives gunners access to arms like the MILAN anti-tank guided missile launcher
and M240 machine gun, while the remote option uses a device called CROWS, which stands for
Common Remotely Operated Weapons System.
Number 8.
M1117 Guardian Also known as the COMMANDO family of vehicles,
the M1117 Guardian is an Armored Security Vehicle meant to protect personnel in combative
environments.
Mounted with an Mk 19 grenade launcher, M2HB Browning machine gun, and M240H Medium Machine
Gun, this heavily-plated land rover was used prominently by U.S. military police and convoy
security while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
This hulking vehicle weighs approximately 29,560 pounds and can carry a crew of 5 on
operations up to 475 miles in travel distance.
The Guardian can handle fire from small arms, mines, and improvised explosive devices, and
can even push forward after taking a hit from rocket-propelled grenades, many times deflecting
them all together thanks to the vehicles slanting, armored surface.
Number 7.
UH-60 Black Hawk Named after the historical Sauk American warrior-leader,
the Black Hawk has played a major part in U.S. Army operations since coming into service
in 1979.
This Sikorsky Aircraft-made helicopter has seen action on behalf of American forces in
countries like Afghanistan, Grenada, Iraq, and Somalia.
Around 4 thousand of these vehicles have been built to date, and in addition to the U.S.
Army, the UH-60 Black Hawk is used by the Japan Self Defense Forces, Colombian Armed
Forces, and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
Each of these twin-engine, four blade aircrafts costs an average of 21.3 million dollars to
purchase.
Dozens of variant Black Hawks have been made to accommodate Sikorsky's growing international
customer base as well as different U.S. Army specialization requirements.
Number 6.
Stryker The Stryker family of vehicles are a series
of eight-wheeled fighting vehicles fitted in over 5 thousand pounds of slat armor, a
specialized layer meant to guard against anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade attacks.
These heavy duty vehicles originally cost 3 million dollars per unit to produce in 2002
by the Canadian division of General Dynamics Land Systems.
Costs were able to be reduced to 1.42 million dollars per vehicle the following year, but
as of 2012, these massive troop transporters cost 4.9 million dollars a piece.
Strykers weigh 18 to 20 tons and can be driven in 4 wheel or 8 wheel drive, pushing through
a variety of terrain and obstacles.
For defensive capabilities, these vehicles are fitted with a variety of machine guns
and other weapons such as the 105 millimeter M68A2 gun, 40 millimeter Mk 19 grenade launcher,
30 millimeter Mk44 Bushmaster II gun, or 7.62 millimeter M240 machine guns.
Number 5.
Cougar Not quite as large as its cousin the Buffalo,
this Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle is an infantry transport vehicle specialized
in protecting against explosives and small arms.
The Cougar is a 475 thousand-dollar landcraft built to withstand blasts of up to 30 pounds
of TNT under the wheels and 15 pounds of TNT under the vehicle's undercarriage.
Since the U.S. Army began incorporating the Cougar in their operations in 2004, fatalities
due to improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, dropped considerably.
In addition to features benefitting the Cougar in combat, this vehicle is outfitted with
dual air-conditioners to assist in hauling passengers, an important inclusion given troops
in Iraq risk overheating as they operate while heavily dressed in 100 degree heat.
Thousands of Cougars serve the U.S. and British Armies, with many variants available in 4
by 4 and 6 by 6 models.
Number 4.
The Buffalo Built to withstand mines and protected against
ambushes, The Buffalo is a heavyweight behemoth among the U.S. Army's armada of vehicles.
Operating on 6-wheels with a large articulated arm utilized for the disposal of explosive
devices, this monstrous vehicle weighs in at over 45 thousand pounds and can carry a
maximum load of up to 56 thousand pounds.
The Buffalo incorporates a V-shaped monohull chassis, an innovation specifically designed
to direct the blast force of explosives away from vehicle occupants.
Unlike some of the other vehicles on this list, there are only a short number in used
by the Army.
In June of 2008, the 200th Buffalo was delivered to U.S. Military, coming in handy as hazards
such as IEDs became a growing problem in the Army's efforts abroad.
Number 3.
AH-64 Apache While the AH-64 Apache has become a staple
of the U.S. Army, this prized attack helicopter has become the primary choice for many other
nations as well, including Israel, Greeze, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
This helicopter has been produced by a number of manufacturers over the years, first being
developed by Hughes Helicopters in 1975 before McDonnel Douglas took over operations in 1984.
The Apache wasn't introduced into service until 1986, and by 1997, Boeing Defense, Space
& Security took over production of the chopper.
This helicopter is notable for its twin-turboshafts, tailwheel-style landing gear, a mounted nose-sensor
that aids in target acquisition and night vision systems, and weaponry like 30 mm M230
chain guns, Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods.
Number 2.
M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Developed in response to Soviet BMP tanks,
the U.S. Army began using the M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles in 1981.
The two distinct variants of this land roving vehicle differ mainly in cargo.
While both versions carry a 3-person crew in the roles of commander, gunner, and driver,
the M2 is built to carry an additional 6 soldiers while the M3 can carry additional two, devoting
space to BGM-71 missiles instead.
These 2 variants of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, along with all other minor variants, are made
to transport personnel under armor protection, along with providing cover fire and suppressing
enemy tanks.
These weaponized machines were crafted to keep up with the M12 Abrams so as to keep
up with formations as a cavalry vehicle.
Number 1.
M1 Abrams Tank One of the heaviest tanks in service of the
U.S. Army at 68 short tons is the M1 Abrams third generation battle tank.
Designed by General Dynamics Land Systems, formerly known as Chrysler Defense, this tank
was built to dominate in armored ground combat.
The M1 Abrams is outfitted with innovative tools such as a computer fire control system,
complex Chobham composite armor, a multi-fuel turbine engine, and protection against nuclear,
biological, and chemical weapons for on-board soldiers.