Army Technology, a military news site, reported on 19 May that AM General has been awarded a fixed-price contract by the U.S. Army to provide two Humvee2-CT Hawkeye “(Hawkeye) mobile howitzer system (MHS). The gun is converted from a Humvee vehicle (HMMWV) and can carry a 105mm howitzer for rapid fire support missions.
According to reports, the U.S. Army has requested two Hawkeyes and expects to begin characterisation testing next year. The gun system is based on the Humvee2-CT Humvee (M1152), which weighs only about 6.4 tons, with a 105mm howitzer mounted on it and a crew of only four members.
In general, large-caliber guns must be heavy enough to withstand strong recoil without being overturned, and this is especially true of self-propelled guns with a high center of gravity; however, this also makes them less mobile and difficult to keep up with the movement of modern units. However, the Hawkeye is equipped with the Mandus Group’s Soft Retreat Technology (SRT), which reduces recoil by 40 to 60 percent, significantly reducing the vehicle’s weight requirements and saving on maintenance, fuel and other costs.
The military news site Breaking Defense noted that the characterization test is a relatively informal form of testing and does not represent the U.S. Army’s intention to procure the Hawkeye in large numbers, but it does indicate that it is interested in the concept.
In addition to the Hawkeye, soft braking technology is also being used on the Brutus 155mm self-propelled gun, which was converted from a six-wheeled medium tactical vehicle (FMTV) and is being used in conjunction with Elbit Systems’ Iron Saber. Systems’ Iron Sabre, BAE Systems’ Archer, Yugoimport SDPR’s “Nora” (NORA) and other self-propelled guns together with the U.S. Army testing, the future is expected to become the Stryker (Stryker) unit fire support main force.
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