Heavy Equipment Transport System
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Image:HET tractor.jpg The Heavy Equipment Transport System (HETS) is a military logistics vehicle used to transport, deploy, and evacuate tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery, and other heavy vehicles. Using HETS saves wear and tear on the tank, and is more cost efficient, as tanks are extremely expensive to run and maintain. Since the tanks do not need to self-deploy to the battlefield, enroute breakdowns are prevented, and more fighting vehicles will be available for combat.
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[edit] M911/M746/M747
Prior to 1993, the U.S. Army employed the Commercial Heavy Equipment Transporter (C-HET), which consists of either the M746 or the M911 truck tractor, with the M747 semitrailer. Close to 1200 of these trucks were built in the mid 1970's by Oshkosh Truck Corporation of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.<ref>Fort Snelling Military Museum. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.</ref> During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm the HETS vehicles were employed primarily to haul M1 Abrams tanks. However, they demonstrated poor durability when loads exceeded 60 tons. Some are still serving as heavy transports of other military equipment, such as cargo handling equipment.
[edit] General Characteristics
| M911 tractor | M746 tractor | M747 trailer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length: | 30 feet | 27 feet | 48.2 feet |
| Width: | 9.5 feet | 10 feet | 11.5 feet |
| Height: | 11.8 feet | 10 feet | 6.8 feet |
| Weight: | 26.3 tons | 25.8 tons | 17.1 tons |
| Speed: | 43 miles per hour | 38 miles per hour | N/A |
| Range: | 614 miles | 200 miles | N/A |
| Crew: | 2 | 2 | N/A |
| Engine: | 430 hp diesel engine | N/A | |
| Transmission: | 5-speed automatic | N/A |
[edit] M1070/M1000
In 1993 the U.S. Army started fielding the M1070 Truck Tractor and the M1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter Semi-trailer. The tractor is produced by Oshkosh Truck, and the trailer is manufactured by Systems & Electronics, Inc. in St. Louis. The HETS transports payloads up to 70 tons – primarily Abrams tanks, but is also used for other large military equipment such as forklifts and various tracked vehicles. It is capable of operating on highways (with permits), secondary roads, and cross-country. This version of HETS has a number of features that significantly improve the mobility and overall performance of the system in a tactical environment. The M1070 tractor has front- and rear-axle steering, a central tire-inflation system, and cab space for six personnel to accommodate the two HETS operators and four tank crewmen. The M1000 semi-trailer has automatically steerable axles and a load-leveling hydraulic suspension. It is air-transportable by both C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
[edit] General Characteristics
| M1070 tractor | M1000 trailer | |
|---|---|---|
| Length: | 29' 10" | 51' 10" |
| Width: | 8' 6" | 12' |
| Height: | ||
| Weight: | 20.5 tons | 25 tons |
| Speed: | 40-45 mph (25-30 mph with 70 ton payload) | 38 miles per hour |
| Range: | 300 miles | N/A |
| Crew: | 2 | N/A |
| Payload: | 140,000 lbs | |
| Engine: | 500 horsepower Detroit Diesel | N/A |
| Transmission: | 5-speed automatic | N/A |
| Fording: | 28 in |
[edit] External link
[edit] Notes
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