FORT SILL, Okla., -- A Humvee-mounted weapon was showcased during the Maneuver and Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) in 2017. The HMMWV Hawkeye mobile weapon system boasted the ability to arrive to a scene, fire a 105mm cannon on the back of a Humvee, and then depart in five minutes or less. This year, the makers of Hawkeye have returned, this time bringing the weapon's younger, but bigger, brother -- Brutus.
"Last year was the first time the Hawkeye participated in MFIX," said Chris Vanslager, Executive Vice President, U.S. Defense for AM General. "We're extremely excited to be here this year because we're able to demonstrate to the military community our efforts to support the warfighter and show them the benefits of our systems as it relates to improved survivability, lethality, and mobility. Being able to fire the Brutus weapon system further demonstrates the scalability and adaptability of the soft recoil technology."
Soldiers were not permitted to use the new system, however they did participate in MFIX by providing feedback. Soldiers from Fort Sill's 75th Field Artillery Brigade were on hand to observe demonstrators go through drills and fire the weapon. Then they answered questions: how would you use this in battle? How would you change it?
"It was great to be able to provide input," said Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Kirby, a cannon crewmember with C Battery, 427th Field Artillery. "It was nice to share what we need on the ground versus what someone thinks we need, because what we need may not be what they think we want. It's nice to have Soldiers at the lowest level giving input and then to maybe see it down the line based our input -- to see some of these weapons systems that can come into play, make us more efficient, more lethal and provide more fires to our counterparts."
Both weapons differ from traditional howitzer configurations which fire from a fixed position and recoil backwards. Instead, the HMMWV Hawkeye and Brutus incorporate a patented soft recoil technology that allows the howitzer to be mounted on a vehicle which can be fired without transferring the force to the vehicle, thus allowing it to retain its mobility. That development allows the user to shoot and move out rapidly.
"In today's war space, you really need to be highly mobile," said Vanslager. "We believe that counter fires can be expected within five minutes, and with the introduction of weaponized drones, that time could be further reduced. It becomes very important to get into position and, as soon as you fire, to get out, which is what we are demonstrating here at MFIX with the Hawkeye and Brutus."
Based on field testing on the HMMWV Hawkeye, the estimated time, from the moment the vehicle stops to the moment it has fired and is ready to move, is three minutes with a trained crew, said Vanslager. However, he emphasized that the Brutus is a new system and that field testing has not occurred yet, making MFIX an important venue for the military community to see the Brutus fire. Vanslager estimates that it could take Brutus approximately four minutes to complete this entire cycle.
Stabilizers were added to the Humvee and replicated on the Brutus to further improve the 360-degree firing accuracy, said Deborah Reyes, Global Marketing and Communications Director for AM General. The soft-recoil system eliminates the need for the Howitzer to be "dug in" as required with traditional Howitzers and many of the attributes of Hawkeye carry over to the Brutus, she said.
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