Leading global military mobility solutions provider AM General will showcase innovative products and technology that sets the standard to support the warfighter, today and well into the future, at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) February 20-24, 2023, Booth #B08, Hall 2, U.S. Pavilion, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On the heels of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) follow on contract award, the company will debut the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition concept outside of the United States – a collaboration with leading defense companies to showcase the platform’s flexibility to easily integrate various advanced weapons systems. The company’s core capability of Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) development and production with HUMVEE vehicles, HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition, and now JLTV, ensures that the end user is well equipped and supported on the battlefield. Built off the HUMVEE vehicle platform, the HUMVEE Saber offers maximum commonality, simplified maintenance, and streamlined fleet sustainment.
“The current conflicts have demonstrated the increasing importance of drones, whether to target vehicles or for reconnaissance missions. Being able to detect and defeat such threats while maintaining the vehicle’s primary protective capacity is the ultimate capability for a Remote-Controlled Weapon Station. That’s Hornet Air Guard ambition,” said Jean Boy, Managing Director of Hornet.
“We are extremely excited to participate at IDEX, which is the perfect venue to introduce new and innovative products on the world’s stage in support of our most important customer – the Warfighter. With the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition, we continue to push the boundaries of lethality and protection on the battlefield, and we’re proud of the collective effort we fostered with AeroVironment and Hornet to develop this concept,” said John Chadbourne, AM General EVP – Chief Business Development Officer.
The HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition concept underscores how AM General continues to innovate to adapt and win on the modern battlefield with offensive and defensive capabilities – all in a vehicle that is rugged, responsive, and reliable. The Hornet Air Guard is a secondary anti-drone capability, first presented in 2022, which complements the Hornet RCWS and its native functions: surveillance, fire, and self-protection thanks to an independent smoke grenade launcher ring. The Hornet Air Guard adds a Gonio RF (Hydra from Cerbair) and a radar which are fitted on the Hornet’s independent smoke grenade launcher ring. Both systems constantly scan the area while the RCWS can still be used normally for observation or combat missions. The Hornet Air Guard offers anti-drone detection & neutralization capabilities to the Hornet RCWS which provides surveillance, fire, and self-protection thanks the use of air-burst ammunition and the addition of an independent drone detection ring. The proprietary cabin design is redefining survivability that allows for 360-degree kinetic energy threat protection as well as blast threat protection.
The HUMVEE Saber Blade edition integrates AeroVironment’s Switchblade® loitering munitions and a Hornet Air Guard Remote Controlled Weapon System (RCWS) with Counter-UAS concept by Hornet. The loitering munitions on the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition include the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 that provide rapidly deployable, loitering precision strike missiles for use against non-line-of-sight targets. Switchblade 600 missiles are also integrated on the truck. The Switchblade 600 represents the next generation of extended-range loitering missiles and features high precision optics and over 40 minutes of endurance. Switchblade 600 provides unprecedented RSTA (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition) and precision strike capabilities against larger, hardened targets via an anti-armor warhead. The detection of enemy drone presence in the vicinity warns the crew of a possible detection and allows for a swift extraction of the HUMVEE Saber from the danger zone thanks to its superior mobility.
