Light, Armor-Ready Humvees to Be Tested

Light, Armor-Ready Humvees to Be Tested

Wednesday September 12, 2007 2:46 AM

By JAMES HANNAH

Associated Press Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) - The Army said Tuesday that
it will begin testing a nonmetal Humvee that is 900
pounds lighter than its conventional counterpart so it
can add extra armor to better protect soldiers from
roadside bombs.

Army officials have not yet committed to buying any of
the vehicles, whose frames and bodies are made of a
combination of Fiberglas, balsa wood, foam and carbon
reinforcements held together with resin, said Steven
Lockard, president and CEO of Warren, R.I.-based TPI
Composites Inc., which built the prototype vehicle.

“Every pound of weight we save, that weight is being
added back to the vehicle in armor and mine-blast
protection,” Lockard said Tuesday.

The vehicle is the result of an 18-month research and
development program with AM General Corp. and the U.S.
Army Research, Development and Engineering Command,
a laboratory for military automotive technology.

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