Army requesting humvee anti-lock brake and stability control retrofits

The Army is asking industry to manufacture antilock brake and stability control systems for the service's humvee fleet in a decade-long effort to reduce fatalities resulting from rollovers, according to a public notice.

Issued as a sources-sought notice, interested manufacturers are “to design, develop, manufacture, supply and install/troubleshoot an anti-lock brake system with electronic stability control retrofit kit onto the high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle that meets the requirements defined in the ABS/ESC Retrofit Kit Army Tank Purchase Description,” the Monday announcement reads.

The announcement is part of the Army’s effort to retrofit its humvee fleet with kits designed to prevent rollovers by 2035, which have resulted in nine deaths.

Retrofits take place at Red River Army Depot near Texarkana, TX and 15 other sites across the continental United States as well as locations in Hawaii, Japan, Korea and Puerto Rico, Col. Jonathan Meisel, the depot commander, wrote in an email to Inside Defense earlier this year.

Selected manufacturers “will be expected to install” the kits at 15 work sites as well as potential overseas locations, the announcement adds.

“Sources will also be expected to troubleshoot and resolve any mechanical and/or software faults experienced during installations of the referenced ABS/ESC kit on humvees, which may include understanding, addressing and clearing software fault codes as well as resolving mechanical or technical issues,” the announcement reads.

Last month, Senate authorizers included a provision in their final draft of the fiscal year 2025 defense authorization bill that requested the Army submit a plan to finish the retrofit program five years early.

In April 2023, the Army retrofitted 325 humvees per month while the rate in 2024 has fluctuated based on congressional funding, Inside Defense reported earlier this year.

While a common denominator in the rollovers is the failure to use restraints, the magazine adds that studies by the Army Combat Readiness Center identified other contributing factors, including a lack of route planning, failure to adhere to payload plans and excessive speed around corners, among others, according to the Army’s Risk Management magazine.

To increase the survivability, the Army trained soldiers on how to prevent rollovers and exit an overturned vehicle. The Army also developed a hydraulic simulator designed to mimic the motions of a rollover.