South Bend, Ind., October 7 – Leading global military mobility solutions provider, AM General, will feature innovative products and technology to support the warfighter today and well beyond 2030 at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Oct. 10-12, 2022, Booth #2039, Hall A, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The company is proud to debut the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition concept – a collaboration with leading defense companies to showcase the platform’s flexibility to easily integrate various advanced weapons systems.
“We are extremely excited to participate in this year’s AUSA, which is the perfect venue to introduce new and innovative products to support our most important customer – the Warfighter,” said John Chadbourne, AM General EVP – Chief Business Development Officer. “With the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition, we continue to push the boundaries of lethality and protection on the battlefield, and we’re proud of the collective effort we fostered with AeroVironment and Hornet to bring this concept to life.”
The company will display various vehicles with increased levels of lethality integrated onto its iconic and battle-proven mobile platforms. The HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition is a game changer on the modern battlefield with offensive and defensive capabilities – all in a vehicle that is rugged, responsive, and reliable. The HUMVEE Saber Blade edition integrates AeroVironment’s Switchblade® loitering missiles and a Hornet Air Guard Remote Controlled Weapon System (RCWS) with Counter-UAS solution by Hornet. The loitering munitions on the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition include the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 that provide rapidly deployable, loitering precision strike missiles for use against non-line-of-sight targets. The Hornet Air Guard offers anti-drone detection & neutralization capabilities to the Hornet RCWS which provides surveillance, fire, and self-protection thanks the use of air-burst ammunition and the addition of an independent drone detection ring.
“The current conflicts have demonstrated the increasing importance of drones, whether to target vehicles or for reconnaissance missions. Being able to detect and defeat such threats while maintaining the vehicle’s primary protective capacity is the ultimate capability for a Remote Control Weapon Station. That’s Hornet Air Guard ambition,” explains Jean Boy, Managing Director of Hornet.
Through continuous improvement, the HUMVEE Saber contains leap-ahead technology in a redesigned vehicle that offers increased levels of protection in a truly agile light tactical vehicle. The proprietary cabin design is redefining survivability that allows for 360-degree kinetic energy threat protection as well as blast threat protection. Built off the HUMVEE vehicle platform, the HUMVEE Saber offers maximum commonality, simplified maintenance, and streamlined fleet sustainment.
Also on display is the HUMVEE 2-CT Hawkeye Mobile Howitzer which is revolutionizing mobile artillery fires with the integration of the patented Soft Recoil Technology (SRT). SRT is a disruptive technology that will reduce the firing loads for direct and indirect weapons systems, enabling combat systems to meet emerging requirements. The vehicle can emplace, fire with higher precision, and displace in fraction of the time versus conventional towed Howitzers. The 2-CT Hawkeye is undergoing characterization testing by the US Army.
AM General will also have representatives available to provide in-depth information on engineering and logistics services, their award-winning global supply chain management, field service support, as well as parts and equipment warranty support.