SIDEBARS

November 2004

Humvee Shielding Effort Fails to Make Grade

by Joe Pappalardo

Technology transfers from the private sector to military use do not always go smoothly. Such is the case with applying peel-away overlays used on NASCAR windshields to Humvees.

In May, the Army’s Tank-Automotive Armaments Command (TACOM) began working on applying Mylar films to up-armored M1114s Humvees. The idea was to add layers of Mylar on the vehicle windshields, and subsequently peel away the protective films if they became chipped or nicked by road debris. The films were purchased from Carsports, of Bluefield, W.Va.

Humvee windshields are made of a glass/polycarbonate laminate, an unfamiliar surface for such films to be used. NASCAR windshields are made from Lexan, a clear plastic.

TACOM officials said they have tried to apply the Mylar to Humvees three times, but their “success rate has been zero.”

“In each case, the local environment—hot, humid air—caused the Mylar to begin peeling. We also experienced bubbles forming,” TACOM officials said in a written response to National Defense inquiries. “The first time we tried to apply Mylar in theater was July 4. The most recent was August, when M1114s with Mylar that had been applied in [the O’Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt Armoring Co. plant in] Cincinnati arrived in Kuwait.” 

Earlier this year, Gen. Paul Kern, commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, expressed hope in an interview that the Mylar coatings would help preserve windshields, and credited NASCAR with the idea.

“Currently, there are no plans to try this again until we find a way to apply Mylar without it peeling off or bubbling,” an official said. “Although limited improvements and studies to correct deficiencies are commonly pursued, the Mylar windshields have been studied to the fullest extent possible, and now go beyond our area of expertise…The program office for tactical vehicles is not a research and development organization for the Army. The mission is limited to acquisition.”

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