WASHINGTON — After a storied career that spanned the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Bosnia and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States’ fleet of Humvees is entering its twilight — and they’re being sold to the highest bidder by the dozen for about $7,000 each.
The Humvee made its military debut in the 1980s, and the United States still has more than 160,000 in its fleet
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But now the Army wants a tougher, yet nimble vehicle, light enough so that a helicopter could fly it around, but resilient enough to withstand bomb blasts.
In one of the most important — and lucrative — contracts awarded by the Army in years, three major defense firms are competing for the $30 billion prize to build 55,000 vehicles, called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
The JLTV is the mating of a Jeep with a tank, designed for front-line combat as well as ferrying supplies.
