U.S. Army Issues 2nd Humvee RFI

By MICHAEL HOFFMAN Published: 23 Apr 2011 11:53

The U.S. Army issued its second request for information for the competitive Humvee recapitalization program April 21, which is meant to upgrade 60,000 vehicles for no more than $180,000 a copy.

Army officials have said they want additional armor to put the Humvee's survivability on par with the mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle but still keep it lighter than the M-ATV.

Congress denied the Army's request to shift money from buying new Humvees toward a recap program last year forcing the service to issue a second RFI after the Army published the first one in January 2010.

The Marine Corps could join the Army on the Humvee recap program by the time the Army is ready to issue a request for proposal, Col. David Bassett, the Army's project manager for tactical vehicles, said April 19.

Marine Corps officials had already sent out an RFI to recap their Humvee fleet. As the Pentagon looks for budget savings, Bassett said it might make sense to bring the programs together.

BAE Systems, Oshkosh and AM General, which makes the Humvee, have each developed kits that could compete for the Humvee recap contract. Each featured everything from double-V hull underbodies to advanced armor to structural blast channels, which vents a blast and provides structural stiffening.

The recap program is part of the Army's Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy the service released in January. The Army plans to stop buying new Humvees by 2012 and reduce its overall fleet of 260,000 trucks by 15 percent by fiscal 2017.

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