The US military’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee) continues to face safety issues.
Earlier this week, two US Air Force soldiers were wounded after their Humvee rolled over in Weld County, Colorado.
According to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), four soldiers were found inside the military vehicle, and medical personnel transported the two injured airmen to the hospital by helicopter.
CSP did not provide additional details regarding the accident and the extent of injuries sustained by two of the four soldiers inside the Humvee.
However, the injured were transported by helicopter due to the remote location of the accident, not because of the severity of their injuries.
Ongoing Safety Issue
The latest Humvee incident is part of an ongoing safety issue with the tactical vehicle.
In May, a junior infantryman assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division died after a Humvee rollover in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The paratrooper and three others were ejected from the Humvee in the accident.
A month later, a US Air Force cadet died after a Humvee vehicle crashed in a training exercise at Saylor Creek Range in southern Idaho.
Mackenzie Wilson, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene, while two other injured cadets were rushed to St. Alphonsus Hospital.
US Military Response
With numerous reports concerning the safety of the vehicle, the US Army announced that it is investing over $180 million to install anti-lock brake systems with electronic stability control kits into some of its Humvees.
However, the budget is reportedly insufficient to upgrade the service’s fleet of 5,421 legacy vehicles.
Congress has already reached out to the US Army to speed up the adoption of Humvee anti-rollover technology.
“The committee is concerned, however, that the Army investment in new production and retrofit installations, either at home station or the depot, is not as aggressive as necessary to manage risk in the [Humvee] fleet,” the tactical air and land forces subcommittee stated.
“The committee is concerned that the fleet upgrade may take longer than prudent risk allows.”
