The JLTV is an Army-led, multiservice initiative to develop a family of future light tactical vehicles to replace many of the High Mobility, Multi-Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) used by the armed services today. HMMWVs, which first entered service in 1985, were developed during the Cold War when improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other anti-vehicle explosive devices were not a major factor in military planning. The HMMWVs’ demonstrated vulnerability to IEDs and the difficulties and costs experienced in “up-armoring” HMMWVs already in the inventory have led to a renewed emphasis on vehicle survivability. DOD officials have emphasized that JLTVs are not intended to replace HMMWVs “one for one.”
JLTV in Syria (Picture source: U.S. DoD) |