Chris' Deployment Journal

The newest and best armored version is the M1114, and we mostly have these vehicles. That's me in the gunner's turret of a 1114. Don't mind my 'Ghengis Chez' 'snow leopard' faux fur vest I have on, that's another story...

These have been redesigned to be completely armored, have a much stronger suspension, and a more powerful engine. Considering that with all that extra armor they weigh about 9,800 pounds, this is important. They also have a much better AC system too, which is nice, and spring-loaded bullet-proof windows built into the doors. (By contrast, the 1025's had some gaps in between their plates of added-on, thinner armor, and their side windows, which swung open, are like thick portholes and much harder to see out of. Their AC system was added-on like the armor and apparently just not as powerful or durable.) However, they also come with a hefty price tag. While the baseline M998 costs about $50,000 to build, a M114 cost around a quarter of a million dollars. By now, there should be about 4,500 M1114's in theater and another 8,000 Humvees with armored kits. Your tax dollars at work.

And speaking of transparent armor, we had to help the mechanics dispose of a pane of the bullet-proof glass at Camp Scunion. It had been cracked by something but they had to ensure it was completely useless before discarding. So they let us take it to the range. Four guys pumped about 50 rounds of 5.56mm rounds from their M4's into the glass from only 25 meters away and not a single round made it through. In a few places, were multiple rounds had hit, the glass was clearly starting to give way, but that was it.

And speaking of armor in general, each door on the 1114 is about 200+ pounds of armor, probably about two inches thick. (The armor on the 1025's is about a quarter-inch or so.) There have been numerous instances where an IED (roadside bomb) has completely demolished and/or shorn off the engine of a 1114, yet the armored crew compartment is intact and the crew often walked away from the attack with only a ringing in their ears.