Photo By Pfc. Brian LaBombard | First Lt. Charles Vorasingha, the company commander of the 96th Transportation...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas — Soldiers and civilians from the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) gathered at the 180th Transportation Battalion motor pool on Fort Hood, Aug. 16, for the first unit equipped ceremony of the M1070A1 heavy equipment transporter.
The 96th Transportation Company, 180th Trans. Bn., 4th Sustainment Brigade is the first unit in the Army to field the newest HET.
First Lt. Charles Vorasingha, company commander of the 96th Trans. Company, told his soldiers to “take pride in your work. You have a reputation for doing things the right way.”
Development for the latest HET model began in 2008 and testing began in 2010, said William Batten, the global marketing director at the manufacturing company, Oshkosh Defense.
“This is a much-improved version of the previous model, which is over 20 years old,” Batten said. “It has a larger engine and more torque, which will allow the truck to climb hills much easier than the previous HET.”
“One of the best improvements over the last model is the increased torque and horse power,” said Spc. Patrick Otis, a motor transport operator with the 96th Trans. Company, who has already completed the operator training for the new HET.
According to the Oshkosh Defense website, the latest HET has a 700 horsepower engine, which is an increase of 200 horsepower compared to the last HET model.
“We worked with the soldiers to find out what they thought needed the most improvement,” Batten said. “One of the most requested improvements was a better cooling system.”
Sgt. Robert Gregg, a motor transport operator with the 96th Trans. Company, said the new HET is an upgrade in comfort.
“The new HET’s air conditioning is much better than the last model,” he said. “It puts out really cold air and is much more comfortable to ride in for extended periods of time.”
But it’s not all about comfort. The M1070A1 is also much easier to up-armor, Gregg said.
“The computer system onboard the HET will automatically adjust for up-armoring,” he said, “and make it much more efficient with the additional armor.”
Michael Ivy, the vice president and general manager of Army programs at Oshkosh Defense, said the M1070A1 is designed to transport the 70-ton M1A1 Abrams tank.
“This is why we have designed the cabin to hold six soldiers,” he said, adding that the four crewmembers of the Abrams, as well as the two HET operators “will have a safe and comfortable ride in these new HETs.”
Lt. Col. Stephen Riley, commander of the 180th Trans. Bn., was happy to see his soldiers fielding the new equipment.
“We have a proud history of service, and with half of company deployed to Afghanistan,” he said, “I couldn’t think of a unit more deserving of these new vehicles.”
The unit will receive 96 of the new HETs. More than 1,400 have been ordered across the Army.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2012 14:52 |
| Story ID: | 93704 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 362 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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