Humvees news stories on Newser

In Iraq, Hummer's the Hottest Ride

Clay Dillow — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:42:40 CDT

An American military icon has become all the rage in war-weary Baghdad: the Hummer. With at least 20,000 military Humvees on the road, the civilian version seems an unlikely symbol for auto-elitism, but a dealership run by two brothers indicates otherwise. They estimate they've sold 20 H3s in the...

Troops in Iraq Face Final Challenge: Moving Out

Nick McMaster — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:43:15 CDT

As the US military reduces its presence in Iraq, it faces the logistical challenge of moving all the equipment it brought to the country during the nearly six-year war effort, the Los Angeles Times reports. Unlike personnel, much of the equipment used in Iraq will remain in the region, stored...

Pentagon Kept Humvees Despite Known IED Threat

Ambreen Ali — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:35:46 CST

Military leaders knew before the Iraq war that roadside bombs would threaten troops, but they still dragged their heels on adopting vehicles more resistant to IEDs, a Pentagon investigation has found. In 2005 officials stopped processing an urgent request from field commanders for vehicles called MRAPs, whose height and hull...

Haters, Gas Fail to Crush Hummer Pride

Kate Rockwood — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:37:54 CDT

Sure, the Hummer may be going the way of the dinosaur: Sales are down 40% this year on soaring gas and an eco-image problem, and GM is looking to ditch its troubled brand. But for owners, the AP reports, outsized pride remains part of the package. "It definitely sparks some...

Hero Soldier's Parents Accept Medal of Honor

Kevin Spak — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:41:04 CDT

Ross McGinnis, a 19-year-old private who sacrificed his life in Iraq, was awarded the Medal of Honor today in a White House ceremony. Rather than fleeing a grenade an insurgent threw at his Humvee, McGinnis dived on it, saving four other soldiers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. His son "had no...

Laser-Humvee Will Hunt IEDs

Nick McMaster — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:25:28 CST

Boeing has developed a laser-equipped Humvee designed to disarm IEDs, CNET's military tech blog reports. The weapon system, known as the “Laser Avenger,” consists of a 1-kilowatt laser added to an anti-aircraft Humvee-mounted missile turret, and can neutralize a bomb by shooting the super-hot laser into it until it combusts...

How 1st-Year Students See the World

NewsDude — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:04:12 CDT

Humvees are always a mere down payment away, and it's only natural to see stadiums named after big corporations. Your source of info on '60s icons is Oliver Stone movies and anything else you need to know comes right from "The Daily Show." Don't worry; you’re not suffering from a...

Heel-Dragging on Humvees Cost Lives

Sam Gale Rosen — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:59:04 CDT

Officers in Iraq have been begging the Pentagon to replace their vulnerable Humvees with mine-proof MRAPs for years, but to no avail. Now senators Joe Biden and Kit Bond estimate that 700 lives could have been saved if the Pentagon had shipped out the MRAPs earlier, and USA Today reports...

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It

Jonas Oransky — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:06:44 CDT

Roadside bombs are now so powerful and plentiful in Baghdad that US soldiers are leaving their vehicles behind and patrolling on foot. Militant-planted explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, can blow through the strongest Humvees and tanks, and the decision to "dismount" from the vehicles is coming from both commanders and...