[ishotmydog]

Some awesome pictures there. I'm sure apart from the Humvee, seeing the Chihook in action must have been quite a sight.

I've seen one of these up close and i can imagine must have been quite something to see it in all its glory.

[getsurya]

A delightful set of snaps. Viewed every little bit of it. Could almost smell the canvas, cordite, diesel & sweaty unforms in it. Thank you for making my day.

Hi Guderian, Pleasure is mine!

And Humvee shown in detail appears to be a specialist vehicle - possibly a communication command vehicle and not a troop carrier.

I was told that it is a multi-purpose vehicle with command operations, landmine detection and long distance missions with extended fuel tank capabilities. It can also take add on guns and what not as and when required.

Incidentally isn't that a Corsair II that the Chinook had set down ?

Not my area of expertise, so will go with your description.

And did you notice that steering wheel lock ? At an army base they require that eh ?

Yes, Not only this vehicle, all the vehicles(big or small) had some sort of locks and deterrents. The vehicle in pictures had participated in Afghanistan and was back fresh from work.

How was your experience in driving this?

The drive in the technical training area was pure BLISS

The growl, the ability to get into 4-6 feet water and slush and the engagement of 4H and L was out of the world. The engine never felt strained at any point of the track and could take severe beating thrown at it. I drove it over wooden logs, water pits, sand trenches, ramps and straight trails. I 'dared' to touch around 90kmph speed and did not have guts to push it further, though it could still take more speeds.

The width and length of the vehicle coupled with the superior engineering design makes it one SOLID STABLE vehicle under most of the situations.

I only wished it was manual shift, however had to be contended with a auto one. The hand throttle was a good experience for me! Now I have this for my benchmark, I have to learn using my Fortuner for off roading!

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Is the title correct in saying Army Hummer? Shouldn't it be Humvee? I recall Hummer is the civilian version.

You probably drove this vehicle a lot. Could you please give a brief summary on the driving experience. How does it feel in comparison to Thar or Invader?

Would you believe....I never drove one. Not once. Rode in a few but never drove one....and I was assigned briefly to DARCOM, defense automotive readiness command....and I still didn't drive one! They came in as I was going out. I was, however, the proud owner of two pairs of combat boots. I can tell you all about those, if you like.

By that time, mid-1980s, I had decided to become a civilian computer programmer. A whole lot less deadly ordinance flying around as a programmer but I miss the free earth tone clothing and camping gear.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Not my area of expertise, so will go with your description.

Oh don't bother about those comments. I was just talking to myself !

I was also having another look at the snaps and liked those neat Kevlar padding all around (especially the doors), after a long time was seeing the army specs, fool proof switches on the dash, throttle lock below the dash etc.
Is there a dual throttle system ? Meaning in addition to the hand throttle isn't that a foot throttle/accelerator one spotted ?

Many parts seems to have the contract number stamped on it...see the "Control Unit: Directional Signal..." which we ordinary mortals call turn indicator unit/multi funtion switch.

[getsurya]

Is there a dual throttle system ? Meaning in addition to the hand throttle isn't that and foot throttle/accelerator one spotted ?

Yes, they have dual throttle system- hand and feet options. The hand option for me was the first time ever and it was difficult for the first round to adjust/measure the throttle input. It was great experience to use them under the able guidance of my neighbour(let's call him Clint for name sake!).

Clint was with me for the 'training' drives and the car flies, for sure. I am searching for my camera memory cards for the videos' which are playing the 'Murphy's law' right now with me

The dash reminded me of my childhood ride, my grandfather's Willy's 4X4 which had similiar looking functional console/switches etc.

[sandeepmdas]

Great writeup getSurya...

Originally Posted by Samurai

Is the title correct in saying Army Hummer? Shouldn't it be Humvee? I recall Hummer is the civilian version.

Only the Hummer H1 can be called as the civilian version of the Humvee. The H3 is a Chevy Colorado, re-skinned.

The Humvee itself is due for replacement. The US Army has stopped procuring them since 2012, and will start replacing them with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) by 2017.

[jatin22aug]

Taking my hummer (H2) everyday to work still gives me goosebumps even after almost 1.5 years of ownership. This is a mean machine and it takes some time to get used to the pride that comes along. I love every single moment of driving it.

[cityvic]

Humvee's in University City, Philadelphia, USA.

[virtualdanger]

Great pictures 'getsurya'. Looks like you've had an awesome opportunity to tour the base and check out the army hummers. Congrats, and thanks for sharing.

[Tassem]

Fantastic Share Surya! It was almost like being there. And you have looked into all the areas where a car crazed fanatic would stick their head into! That makes it perfect for us!

Thanks again!

[narendra.vw]

getsurya, You sure know which photo's impress off roader. All photo's were informative. Thanks & lucky you had a chance to be near it..

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Incidentally isn't that a Corsair II that the Chinook had set down ?

That does indeed appear to be a Vought A-7 Corsair II. They were retired long back from US service (in 1993) so this must be a static display aircraft. All the internal mechanicals must have been stripped from the aircraft and only the external fuselage remains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTV_A-7_Corsair_II

[crdi]

Thanks a tonne for the post. The sheet metal thickness of the panels are awesome even for a bullet proof vehicle. The exteriors & interiors reek of sheer rawness that will put even the toughest civilian hummers to shame. I guess one entire honda brio could be fabricated from a single panel of it!

[Prowler]

Wow. Great report and photos getsurya. For all the mighty, mean capability of this monster machine, look at the interior - simple and utilitarian. The steering wheel looks as if it was from the WW II US Army Jeeps.

Real drool material !

[preetamkabra]

Amazing pictures and a very good report. Surely enviable getsurya. I can imagine how fun it would have been in the company of real macho vehicles with a added bonus of the courier chopper. Keep it up bro.