Think of it as a smaller, more efficient Hummer capable of traveling long distances without waking up the economy thanks to the AWD Q-Force system. Specs are impressive: achieves a sustained 80 MPH, climbs 60-degree grades, and fuel consumption 25% above similar vehicles. There's even a special weapons ring designed to help the gunner throw down serious fire across rough terrain.

The CREV is undergoing testing at Michigan's TARDEC to see if the military is ready to go olive Green.

[CNET]

"A Hybrid?" I hear you say, "That can't be badass." Well, the military is less concerned about scoring some sweet eco-chick tail and more worried about the amount of gas it uses in remote operating theaters. Not because it can't afford to pay for fill-ups, but because refueling in a war zone can be a tactical nightmare. Thanks to the diesel/electric hybrid, the JAMMA makes 398lb/ft of torque at just 1,800 RPM and can travel up to 450 miles on the ground to teach terrorists a lesson thanks to a combined fuel economy of 21 MPG. The odd proportions aren't just designed to squeeze into an Osprey, but also to allow a 360-degree field of fire for the bed-mounted machine guns.

A visionary project dating back to 2005, the TAC-V Joint All-Terrain Modular Mobility Asset (JAMMA) family of vehicles has been developed to be a genuine technology leap over existing military armored all-terrain vehicles in performance, modular functionality and overall capabilities.

The TAC-V JAMMA V-22 ITV variant, the foundation cornerstone of the JAMMA family of vehicles, has been built to satisfy the requirements of special operations user groups. Engineered with the multi-mission, multi-functional V-22 Osprey in mind, the JAMMA V-22 ITV variant is the only armor ready, four occupant, hybrid, high performance off road vehicle in existence that is capable of being internally transported inside that aircraft.

In addition to a multitude of vehicle configurations available in the 60" wide V-22 ITV variant, an 80" wide, extreme off-road performance suspension is available on the same core vehicle, which maximizes the internal cargo space of the H-53 and H-47 aircraft. This wider suspension variant - the JAMMA RECONDO variant - has greatly enhanced off-road performance and load carrying capabilities. The overall functionality, frontline deliverability and performance capabilities of these two variations of the same core JAMMA vehicle greatly surpass any existing vehicle in this size and class.

Some of the unique features of the JAMMA family of vehicles include an armor attachment system that allows threat specific armor to be easily and readily attached to or removed from the vehicle in virtually any environment; stadium seating that allows the driver to be comprehensively armored while also preventing the driver from blocking the fire arcs of the other vehicle occupants; and, optimized occupant roll-over protection with full fields of fire on the move.

In addition to all of its other beneficial attributes, the TAC-V JAMMA V-22 ITV variant is available with a diesel/JP8 engine, or, with a state of the art hybrid driveline that optimizes the vehicle's efficiency and generates 25kW continuous exportable power.

* Width: 60 in. (basic V-22 variant)
* Height: 60 in. (basic V-22 variant)
* Gross Vehicle Weight: 7,500
* Payload: 3,000
* Engine: 6 cyl. Turbo Diesel, Hybrid Electric Motor
* Horsepower: 214 (Diesel), 100 (Hybrid-Electric)
* Torque: 398 lb. ft. @ 1800 RPM
* Drivetrain: 4 wheel drive
* Exportable Power Capacity: 25kW
* Miles per gallon: 21 (targeted across all drive circles)
* Max Road Range (Miles): 450
* Sustainable Highway Speed at GVW: 90 mph
* Operational elevation before performance degradation: Up to 10,000 ft. ASL
* Operational Ambient Temperature range: -30 deg F to 135 deg F

[PCAuto via The Tycho]

Now, we admit that this engine was never intended for use in a car, but tanks are certainly related to cars and so we say this engine qualifies for the Engine Of The Day series. The deal with the A57 was that Chrysler needed to whomp up a tank engine in a hurry, so as to put the kibosh on the Thousand Year Reich and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The easiest way to do this was to grab as many existing components off the shelf as possible, so Chrysler used the 201-cubic-inch Plymouth flathead six as the basis for the new engine. Five crankshafts driving a common center shaft via individual ring gears arrayed around a central gear, five heads, five carburetors, five distributors… and 30 cylinders! It was heavy as hell, but it got the job done and was used to power M3A4 Lee and M4A4 Sherman tanks. Here's a video that gives you an idea of this engine's sound:


[Autospeed]

Demo video of Boeing's YAL-1 Airborne Laser mounted to a 747-400:
Boeing demonstrated the new Avenger Laser System at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico last month with impressive results. They were able to shoot down three small UAVs with the 1kW laser system and used the demonstration as a testbed for the U.S. Military. It was overseen by representatives of the U.S. Army's Cruise Missile Defense Systems project office. Small UAVs pose an increasing threat to U.S. troops in war zones based on their ability to carry ammunition and surveillance devices.

The primary reason for using lasers in the battlefield is the stealth factor that they provide. Whereas missiles leave a smoke plume that can easily be seen for miles, a laser defense system leaves no trace, therefore the ground troops location will remain undetected.

"Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. "Laser Avenger, unlike a conventional weapon, can fire its laser beam without creating missile exhaust or gun flashes that would reveal its position. As a result, Laser Avenger can neutralize these UAV threats while keeping our troops safe."

This was the stuff of movies, comics and video games for years, but it looks as if it's finally starting to become a reality and we're excited.

Boeing Press Release:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 26, 2009 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully demonstrated that a laser system mounted on an Avenger combat vehicle can shoot down a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) like those that increasingly threaten U.S. troops deployed in war zones.

During tests last month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Laser Avenger achieved its principal test objectives by using its advanced targeting system to acquire and track three small UAVs flying against a complex background of mountains and desert. The laser system also shot down one of the UAVs from an operationally relevant range. These tests mark the first time a combat vehicle has used a laser to shoot down a UAV.

Representatives of the U.S. Army's Cruise Missile Defense Systems project office observed the tests.

"Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. "Laser Avenger, unlike a conventional weapon, can fire its laser beam without creating missile exhaust or gun flashes that would reveal its position. As a result, Laser Avenger can neutralize these UAV threats while keeping our troops safe."

The tests follow a 2007 demonstration in which an earlier version of Laser Avenger neutralized improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the ground.

"We doubled the laser power; added sophisticated acquisition, tracking and pointing capability; and simplified and ruggedized the design," said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing program director for High-Energy Laser/Electro-Optical Systems. "Boeing developed and integrated these upgrades in less than a year, underscoring our ability to rapidly respond to warfighters' needs."

Laser Avenger integrates a directed energy weapon together with the kinetic weapons on the proven Avenger air defense system developed by Boeing Combat Systems in Huntsville, Ala. It is a Boeing-funded initiative to demonstrate that directed energy weapons are maturing and are relevant to today's battlefield.

Boeing leads the way in developing laser systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force and Army warfighter applications. These systems include the Airborne Laser, the Advanced Tactical Laser, the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator and the Tactical Relay Mirror System.

[via Boeing]

What if this had become the standard-issue military vehicle during the war? Would the entire SUV market as we know it today have ceased to exist? Or would all Hummers have been pyramid-shaped? Would we have parking lots that looked like pie charts? Okay, we need to go lay down for a while and think this over.

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com

It turns out that this truck is owned by the guy who runs the Alameda Naval Air Museum, and all the costumed folks hanging around (including a guy in full Indiana Jones gear and some fur-hatted Rooskies) were getting ready to attend the grand opening of the newly restored Alameda Theater, which had been closed for 30 years and was showing an Indiana Jones premiere. Sure, this International normally lives in a museum, but I caught it parked on the street- it's fair DOTS game!


Why Red Army soldiers plan to ride to the movies in a truck done up in USMC colors is a bit hard to figure out, but the costumes were quite good and this truck looks reasonably complete.


I'm hoping that military-vehicle expert (and my ex-coworker) Clinto can give us some more details on this old soldier; I'll need to head down to the ANAM later on and see what other vehicles they've got.

Some pics (maybe in a couple emails) of our Porsche 597 Jagdwagens. As you probably know, a grand total of 71 were made between 1955 and 1958. All were handbuilt in the race shop right next to the 550 Spyders (I've got picstures) as prototypes, so no two were exactly alike. They were originally developed as a proposal for a light utility, Jeep-type vehicle for the German Army when it was reorganized ten years after WW II. Unfortunately, the DKW Munga was chosen instead of the 597. Some people say it was politics but it was probably economics. The Munga was a very basic, throw-away vehicle with a simple three cylinder, two-stroke engine. The 597 was typical of all Porsches; technologically advanced for its time (five forward gears, amphibious, the ability to climb a 65 degree grade, shift-on-the-fly 4wd, etc.) and, as a result, much more expensive.

When they didn't get the German Army contract, Porsche tried to market the vehicle to NATO countries. Finally, as a last ditch effort, it was marketed to consumers as a personal hunting vehicle for sportsmen. Hence the name "Jagdwagen" which roughly translates to "hunting car". OK, so it wasn't one of their greatest marketing successes but the people who griped about Porsche building the Cayenne when it came out sure didn't know the corporate history very well.

The green project 597 you see is the oldest existing model and was the one used for promotional brochures and press testing. We have all of the original parts. The restored green 597 is representative of what the majority looked like when new. Notice the Spyder seats and the 24v dynamo. It is also a matching numbers vehicle. The Speed Yellow Jagdwagen has been modified for modern day street use (lowered, 911 seats and dash, roll bar and 110 hp 912 engine). We have run a 1500 mile rally in it and it really upsets the Porsche purists. It is one of the very last ones made and we have all of the original parts so that it can be restored to its original configuration.

Of course, if a couple of college students driving around with all manner of black boxes, electronics and wires can gain access to a high-security military installation, it begs the question, what's stopping Al Qaeda?

At the Pentagon's request, Google has removed the material.

"To see these tanks crossing country at speed was a thrill which seemed inexhaustible — many times it encouraged us, and we were very proud of our Crusaders; though we often had cause to curse them."

Where do you fall in?A Tank? An Amphibious Vehicle? An Armet Gurkha? We're partial to the DUKW ourselves. What's your all-time favorite military land vehicle?

It's got the sirens, blackout lights, and other goodies the well-equipped Pontiac-driving Army officer needed back in the day.


It's good to get another 40s vehicle in this series; this is the fourth (after the '45 Jeep, '47 Plymouth, and '49 International Harvester).


This Chief Pontiac hood ornament isn't quite as cool as the one on the 1950 Pontiac Chieftan, but it's still one of my favorites.


Check out the vintage radiotelephone in there- I sure hope it's functional. Dog Oboe Tare Sail!

INTERNATIONAL MaxxPrO™ MaxxPro,™ the International® Mine Protected Vehicle. Built to withstand ballistic arms fire, mineblasts, IEDs, and nuclear, biological, and chemical environments that threaten the safety of its crew. Armoring flexibility allows upgrades to achieve the correct level of protection the mission requires. And International's proven severe service platform means quality, durability and reliability are on the battlefield. The International MPV. Miles Ahead. In protection and progress.

MaxxPro and Maxxpro XL Basic Specifications
Length: 254"- 282"
Width: 99"
Height: 120"
Wheel Base: 153"- 176"
Ground Clearance (Center of Vehicle): 14"
Ground Clearance (Differential Clearance): 11"
Angle of Approach: 58°
Angle of Departure: 46°- 48°
Gradeability: 70% low range
Side Slope: 30%
Mass Tare (GVM): 27,850-29,850 lbs
Payload: 3,650-11,150 lbs
GVWR: 31,500-41,000 lbs
Seating: 2-man crew plus 4-10 passengers
Configuration: 4 x 4
Turning Circle: 58'-68'
protection levels
Ballistic Protection: Armor and glass protection to meet mission needs
Mine Protection: Specialized 'V'-shaped hull design protects against mine/IED blasts
Engine
Make: International® I6 Diesel
Type: Turbo inter-cooled, direct electronic injection, four stroke
Displacement: 8.7 L (530 ci)
Emission Standard: EPA 2005
Maximum Power: 330 hp @ 2,100 rpm
Power/Mass Ratio: 18.9 - 20 hp/US ton
Maximum Torque: 1,150 ft-lbs @ 2,100 rpm
Batteries: 4 x 12-volt Batteries
Alternator: 400 amps
Other Features:
• Blackout lights
• Diamond Logic® Electrical System
Transmission
Make: Allison 3000
Type: 5-Speed Automatic
Trans fer Case
Make: 4 x 4 Two-Speed
Steering System
Steering Type: Hydraulically assisted recirculating ball axles
Front Axle: 16,000 lbs - 20,000 lbs Drive/Steer
Rear Axle: 21,000 lbs - 23,000 lbs Drive
Suspension
Springs: Semi-elliptical leaf springs
Shock Absorbers: Double acting telescopic hydraulic
Service Brakes: Full air brakes with ABS and traction control
Parking Brakes: Air-activated, hand-operated, rear axle brakes
Fording Depth: 36" without preparation
Wheels and tires
Rims: 10" x 20"
Tires: 395/85R20
Run Flats: optional

We'll take three for Jalopnikonia please, just send the bill c/o Ray Wert, Royal Oak, MI 48067. [Tomcar USA]

So the rotting, corrupt edifice that was 21st-century civilization has finally collapsed, and you and your bedraggled followers- I mean, "soldiers"- are holed up in a mud-walled compound stocked with freeze-dried rations and ammo. As warlord, you'll need a vehicle that impresses your subjects, yet is practical for a roadless environment. How about this Faun-Kraka, the ad for which may be the winner of the Jalopnik Least Informative Car Listing Evah Award? You get no price, no details on condition, no nothing other than a photograph of what appears to be part of the vehicle's nose and front suspension. We're going to assume that it doesn't run and needs a bunch of damn-near-impossible-to-find parts, and that the seller will be a very difficult negotiator. But still, don't you want a go-anywhere vehicle that folds up for parachute dropping? Here's a machine-translated rendering of a German Kraka website that will almost fill you in; Faun-Kraka experts, feel free to 'splain more to us about this fine machine.

But hey, maybe you feel that a post-apoc strongman should be surrounded by fierce German Shepherds, not fierce German vehicles. For you, we have this Studebaker Weasel, which drops a bunch of weight on both sides of the cool/hellish scale by having tracks! Yes sir, your soldiers will snap to attention when they hear the unmistakable sound of your tracked vehicle approaching through the woods. Technically, this Stude was known as the M29 back in World War Two, but if it's built by Studebaker we think you should proclaim it with pride, dammit! This one needs quite a bit of work (the seller says it's "nothing complicated that can not be done with a little knowledge or beer"), but it comes with some spare NOS treads. The original Studebaker engine has been replaced with a Ford six (boo!) and an automatic transmission (BOOOO!) but once you've got this thing in a billion pieces on your garage floor you'll be in the mood dropping in a blown Avanti 289 and 4-speed; hey, if you're in Hell already you won't even notice a 10° temperature increase.

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Yes, it's a freakin' Unimog parked in front of a charming Craftsman bungalow. And, yes, it really does live on the street in Alameda- I don't fake this stuff!


I won't attempt to speculate on the year and model, although a friend who knows military vehicles says it might be a U1300.


This is the first Unimog I've ever seen in person. It's actually not quite as huge as I'd been led to expect, but the ground clearance is absurd and the frame looks like it could survive a direct hit from a tactical nuclear device.


I think Mercedes should apply this interior look to all those damn luxo-SUVs they're selling. You don't need cupholders- you need switches you can operate while driving down a burning mountainside.


I'm sure my state's governor is very proud of his personal Unimog. Look at this thing!


That Florida Coast Guard plate is civilian issue, though it's likely the owner has something to do with the major Coast Guard base in Alameda.


Of course, the most important accessory is the Guinness bottle opener by the driver's door.

What the heck, let's have a poll to brighten our Monday gloom!

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