Military

M1097 Heavy HMMWV

The M1097 series HMMWVs were higher payload capacity cargo/troop carrier configurations of the HMMWV family. The vehicles were equipped with basic armor and used to transport equipment, materials, and/or personnel, like the M998/M1038 series, except with a higher payload capacity. The heavy variant troop carrier was capable of transporting a 2-man crew and 8 passengers. The heavy variant cargo carrier was capable of transporting a payload (including crew) of 4,400 pounds (1,998 kilograms). The introduction of the M1097 rendered the M1069, based on the standard 1 1/4-ton vehicles, obsolete in the role of prime mover for the M167 Towed VADS and M119 105mm howitzer. The M1097 with the artillery bustle kit replaced the M1069 in these roles. The vehicle could also act as a shelter carrying designed to carry heavy electronic systems or as a weapons platforms. The M1097 series could be configured to act as a command post shelter from which battlefield traffic could be monitored and a communication center from which personnel might monitor incoming and outgoing radio and telecommunication traffic during operations.

The M1097 series use a troop seat kit for troop transport operations, a 200 ampere umbilical power cable to power shelter equipment, and stowage racks for ammunition and equipment. To accommodate the higher payload capacity, the vehicles were equipped with a re-inforced frame, cross-members, lifting shackles, heavy duty rear springs, shock absorbers, reinforced control arms, heavy duty tires and rims, and a transfer case and differential with modified gear ratio.

The vehicles could climb 60 percent slopes and traverse a side slope of up to 40 percent fully loaded. The vehicles could ford hard bottom water crossing up to 30 inches without a deep water fording kit and up to 60 inches with the kit. The M1097A1 was equipped with the self-recovery winch, which can also be used to recover like systems and had all the other A1 series modifications applied to the vehicle.

M1097A2 models, in addition to having all the other A2 series improvements, had new bumpers, which made the vehicles slightly longer. A 9,000 pound winch was also available for the M1097A2 models as an option. The M1097A2 Heavy HMMWV was intended to replace existing M1097 and M1097 vehicles and M1037 and M1042 shelter carriers.

On 3 July 1996, the Department of Defense announcd that O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt Armoring Company, of Fairfield, Ohio, had been awarded a $6,948,101 modification to a firm fixed price contract for the armoring of 180 M1097 HMMWVs, for deployment to Bosnia. Kits were built and retrofitted on existing vehicles. Work would be performed in Fairfield, Ohio (96 percent) and Germersheim, Germany (4 percent). Work was expected to be completed by 19 July 1996. This was a sole source contract initiated on December 8, 1995.

M1097 variants fitted with any of a variety of add-on armor packages as part of near term armor programs, beginning in 2003 were designated with a "P1" after their respective model number.