Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 9-15, 2018 UCW 9 Fort Bragg continues to lead the way by JEFF THOMPSON Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division is on the cutting edge of the Army's newest tactical vehicles. Just as the Humvee replaced the iconic Jeep, a new Light Combat All-Terrain Vehicle will soon re- place the HMMW V. But first comes a hot new Ground Mobil- ity Vehicle, or GMV, which is also being issued to the 82nd Airborne. The five Army Airborne brigade combat teams are slated to begin fielding 300 GMVs this year. Designed to move airborne troops out from the drop zone in a hurry, the new air-droppable vehicles were originally procured for special forces but have found a new home. The Military Times reports non-air- borne infantry forces will receive the vehicles next. The GMV is meant to take soldiers where other vehicles can't. The open-air GMV can scale a 60-degree grade and ford 30 inches of water. It has 19 inches of ground clearance, coil over shocks and an independent adjustment suspension. It has a 55.5-degree approach angle and a 53.1-degree de- parture angle. For increased cross-country mobil- ity, it has limited slip-front and limited-slip locking rear differentials. The GMV can carry up to nine troops, including a driver, meaning it can ferry an entire airborne infantry squad. It is transportable inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter and can be airdropped from C-130 and larger air transports. The vehicle can be equipped with a M-2 .50 caliber heav y machine gun and a M240 medium machine gun. Next year, airborne units, starting with the 82nd Airborne Division and followed by the 173nd Infan- try Brigade Combat, will be issued the L-ATVs. "We found that in Afghanistan, the uparmored HMMW V was too big and heavy, and it lost a lot in perfor- mance," said Lt. Col. Rob Barnhill, product manager of the Systems Integration, Joint Program Office. "We wanted to develop a truck with better underbody and load protection, but one that could still put 3,500 pounds of payload in it," said Col. Shane Fulmer, product manager of Sys- tems Integration, Joint Program Office. He concluded the L-ATV filled the bill. The new all-terrain vehicle is light enough to be transported by helicopter. It's a sturdy, four-wheel drive vehicle with a top speed of 95 miles per hour, a range of 300 miles, and is powered by a two-liter, dual overhead cam, bi-turbocharged, diesel engine generating 195 horsepower. According to Military Times, the first 300 vehicles will be div vied up among the three brigades of the 82nd Airborne Division, the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Division in Alaska and the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy. The Army Ground Mobility Unit and L-ATV will soon grace motorpools at Fort Bragg. NEWS JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. WORK IN THE INDUSTRY OF YOUR CHOICE! www.faytechcc.edu/continuing-education Register Now! Register Now! for just for just $180! Scholarships may be available! $180! Structured Cabling May 23 – June 20 July 5 – August 1 August 8 – September 5 Welding June 4 – July 20 July 23 – September 7 CATV/ Communications Cabling July 19 – October 16 910-678-9896 FTCC Corporate & Continuing Education