The next wave of Army fighting vehicles are still on the drawing board. So, in the meantime, "Boeing is outfitting 34 commercially produced limousine-style Hummers with radios and computer networking equipment to stand in for the... vehicles during tests and exercises," according to Inside Defense.
In early January, seven of the vehicles will drive up Californias Interstate 15 to Nellis Air Force Base, NV, located near Las Vegas, to be used in the Air Force-led Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006...
To find the actual vehicles, Boeing conducted two separate competitions -- one among Hummer dealerships near Huntington Beach, CA, and another among companies that make vehicles into limousines by cutting them in half and adding length to the middle as needed. Hummer of West Covina, CA, and LA Custom Coach Inc. won out.
The Hummers were delivered to the Huntington Beach SOSIL [System of Systems Integration Laboratory] facility with an added alternator, dual oil filters and run-flat tires. Then they were handed over to the limousine company, where their length was increased by 65 inches...
After the expansion to a six-door vehicle was complete, the Army added air conditioning because the vehicles will be running with computers and radios in the heat of the desert. They also were painted with the services signature camouflage print.
