# Please help ID Military Vehicle **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362 "2014-11-11T19:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/1 "2014-11-11T19:22:30Z")
Some co-workers and I were walking today in Manhattan. It was at the tail end of the Veterans Day parade and a group of military vehicles were making their way through the streets of Manhattan. There was one type, however, that we couldn’t identify. Are there any military Dopers who can help us ID this? [![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/tek1hq35hbo69ck/Photo%20Nov%2011%2C%202%2009%2023%20PM.jpg?dl=0) ](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/tek1hq35hbo69ck/Photo%20Nov%2011%2C%202%2009%2023%20PM.jpg?dl=0) Thanks, Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/2 "2014-11-11T19:46:53Z")
It’s a [HMMWV (Humvee)](https://www.google.com/search?q=military+hmmwv+photos&biw=1279&bih=767&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SWdiVPaKKouqyQSo2oLIDQ&ved=0CB0QsAQ). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/3 "2014-11-11T20:07:45Z")
Is that turret on the top a dealer option, or is this more of a custom tank-hack job? ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/4 "2014-11-11T20:08:02Z")
It appears to be a [M1151 Enhanced Armament Carrier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1151), an up-armored HMMWV with a .50 turret. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/5 "2014-11-11T20:52:39Z")
Thanks, everyone! Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/6 "2014-11-12T11:58:48Z")
Ironic that there are two pictures of up-armored Humvees in this thread; the one in New York has a mounted .50 Cal, and the one in a combat theatre has no weapon at all. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/7 "2014-11-12T12:09:29Z")
That turret looks like a giant death trap and also super weird. IDGI, why is it open-topped in the front ? The better to lure the enemy into lobbing explosives in there :), what ? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/8 "2014-11-12T12:16:07Z")
The vehicle in New York was most likely from the “[Fighting 69th](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69th_Infantry_Regiment_(New_York)).” ---
**Author:** ![RememberMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/9 "2014-11-12T13:13:12Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > That turret looks like a giant death trap and also super weird. IDGI, why is it open-topped in the front ? The better to lure the enemy into lobbing explosives in there :), what ? When your main threat is in the form of roadside bombs (IEDs), then your defense adapts to said threat. There is/was not much of a threat of grenades being dropped into vehicles from above so the open top was kept open. Those turrets are very heavy and raise the center of gravity on a vehicle that is already prone to rollovers. Having an enclosed turret would make the turret even heavier, reduce visibility, and make more difficult the ability to escape through the top hatch. ETA: I find it odd that the ONE type of vehicle the OP could not identify was the most common military vehicle in use today. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/10 "2014-11-12T13:49:37Z")
I’d think he could tell it was built on a HMMWV platform but wondered if it was a specific type as opposed to a slap-armor-and-a-deuce-on-it field rig. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/11 "2014-11-12T18:36:08Z")
> [@RememberMe](#): > > When your main threat is in the form of roadside bombs (IEDs), then your defense adapts to said threat. There is/was not much of a threat of grenades being dropped into vehicles from above so the open top was kept open. Those turrets are very heavy and raise the center of gravity on a vehicle that is already prone to rollovers. Having an enclosed turret would make the turret even heavier, reduce visibility, and make more difficult the ability to escape through the top hatch. I sort of get that, but then… why enclose the back and have a sort of half-top ? It’s maddeningly asymmetric. My inner OCD freak cries in anger. Also it’s butt ugly, though I could see how that would not necessarily be a strategic priority :o. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-id-military-vehicle/704362/12 "2014-11-16T18:00:06Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I sort of get that, but then… why enclose the back It’s a guess, but if someone is going to take pot-shotes at you, they are probably more likely to attempt this while you are NOT pointing a massive machine gun directly at them. So Ma Deuce takes care of protecting the front, and the armour takes care of the rest.