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Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle
The Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV; /ˈkʌkviː/ KUK-vee), later the Light Service Support Vehicle (LSSV), is a vehicle program instituted to provide the United States military with light utility vehicles based on a civilian truck chassis.
Some of the manufacturers that have provided vehicles to the U.S. military are Chrysler, General Motors (through their Dodge and Chevrolet divisions respectively), and AM General.
The Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) concept, which translated into the CUCV program, was originally intended to augment the purpose-built but expensive Gama Goat 6 x 6, 1+1⁄4-ton trucks and M151 series 1⁄4-ton "jeeps" approaching the end of their service life in the mid-1970s. Initially, Dodge D series trucks were provided in the late 1970s with several military modifications. In the mid-1980s, Chevrolet C/Ks replaced the Dodge vehicles in CUCV I and CUCV II guise. GM CUCVs were heavily redesigned in 2000 and their name was changed to Light Service Support Vehicle (LSSV).
CUCVs are intended to perform "background" roles, providing support for frontline forces, such as cargo transport, troop transport, first aid, and communications. CUCVs are not built for direct frontline combat use, as evident by their lack of bulletproofing and protection from ordnance. Like many of the vehicle parts, the windshield, cabin glass, and body panels are civilian-grade and offer no protection from firearms or explosives. As a result, some CUCVs were replaced in the 1980s and 1990s by the HMMWVs they were to augment.
The U.S. military continued to keep CUCVs in active service long after their projected lifespan. CUCVs of all generations are still in U.S. service, though many M880/M890s and CUCVs have passed through military surplus sales into civilian ownership. CUCVs and LSSVs are in use as support vehicles for military police, troop transport, range control, facilities, and maintenance.
In 1973 Chrysler Corporation began developing militarized adaptations of their civilian Dodge trucks. In 1976 the M880/M890 series was put into production under a large contract, intended to replace previous Dodge M37 and Kaiser Jeep M715 trucks and their variants. The M880/890 trucks were adopted as part of a drive by the U.S. military to use COTS vehicles, with appropriate modifications, where such usage was feasible. An armored variant was built by Cadillac Gage as the Ranger. For almost a decade the Dodges were referred to as "880", "890", or most commonly[according to whom?] called "five-quarters";[citation needed] (the term "CUCV" did not appear until the 1980s when GM was contracted to replace the M880/890 trucks).
The 1+1⁄4 ton M880-series was based on the Dodge W200, a 3⁄4 ton capacity 4×4 civilian/commercial truck. The 880/890 had a 2,500 lb cargo rating, enabling it to have a 5⁄4-ton load rating. The similar 1+1⁄4 ton M890-series was based on the Dodge D200, a 3⁄4 ton capacity 4×2 civilian/commercial truck. In Canadian service, the base vehicle was the 4-speed standard transmission, Power Wagon model, which was slightly heavier and costlier than the W200.
The M880/M890 had a conventional 12-volt electrical system; a separate 24-volt system was added to certain variants of the trucks to power communications units, but this precluded power steering on those units—the pump location being taken up by the 24-volt generator.[unreliable source?] The gasoline engine was out of step with the military's move toward diesel engines during this time period.[citation needed] The lack of power steering was a hindrance in off-road, close quarters, and snow-plowing duties (although most civilian and Air Force models had power steering).[citation needed] Around 44,000 M880/M890s were produced during the 1976–1977 model years and were used by the Army and Air Force until the late 1990s.
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Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle
The Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV; /ˈkʌkviː/ KUK-vee), later the Light Service Support Vehicle (LSSV), is a vehicle program instituted to provide the United States military with light utility vehicles based on a civilian truck chassis.
Some of the manufacturers that have provided vehicles to the U.S. military are Chrysler, General Motors (through their Dodge and Chevrolet divisions respectively), and AM General.
The Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) concept, which translated into the CUCV program, was originally intended to augment the purpose-built but expensive Gama Goat 6 x 6, 1+1⁄4-ton trucks and M151 series 1⁄4-ton "jeeps" approaching the end of their service life in the mid-1970s. Initially, Dodge D series trucks were provided in the late 1970s with several military modifications. In the mid-1980s, Chevrolet C/Ks replaced the Dodge vehicles in CUCV I and CUCV II guise. GM CUCVs were heavily redesigned in 2000 and their name was changed to Light Service Support Vehicle (LSSV).
CUCVs are intended to perform "background" roles, providing support for frontline forces, such as cargo transport, troop transport, first aid, and communications. CUCVs are not built for direct frontline combat use, as evident by their lack of bulletproofing and protection from ordnance. Like many of the vehicle parts, the windshield, cabin glass, and body panels are civilian-grade and offer no protection from firearms or explosives. As a result, some CUCVs were replaced in the 1980s and 1990s by the HMMWVs they were to augment.
The U.S. military continued to keep CUCVs in active service long after their projected lifespan. CUCVs of all generations are still in U.S. service, though many M880/M890s and CUCVs have passed through military surplus sales into civilian ownership. CUCVs and LSSVs are in use as support vehicles for military police, troop transport, range control, facilities, and maintenance.
In 1973 Chrysler Corporation began developing militarized adaptations of their civilian Dodge trucks. In 1976 the M880/M890 series was put into production under a large contract, intended to replace previous Dodge M37 and Kaiser Jeep M715 trucks and their variants. The M880/890 trucks were adopted as part of a drive by the U.S. military to use COTS vehicles, with appropriate modifications, where such usage was feasible. An armored variant was built by Cadillac Gage as the Ranger. For almost a decade the Dodges were referred to as "880", "890", or most commonly[according to whom?] called "five-quarters";[citation needed] (the term "CUCV" did not appear until the 1980s when GM was contracted to replace the M880/890 trucks).
The 1+1⁄4 ton M880-series was based on the Dodge W200, a 3⁄4 ton capacity 4×4 civilian/commercial truck. The 880/890 had a 2,500 lb cargo rating, enabling it to have a 5⁄4-ton load rating. The similar 1+1⁄4 ton M890-series was based on the Dodge D200, a 3⁄4 ton capacity 4×2 civilian/commercial truck. In Canadian service, the base vehicle was the 4-speed standard transmission, Power Wagon model, which was slightly heavier and costlier than the W200.
The M880/M890 had a conventional 12-volt electrical system; a separate 24-volt system was added to certain variants of the trucks to power communications units, but this precluded power steering on those units—the pump location being taken up by the 24-volt generator.[unreliable source?] The gasoline engine was out of step with the military's move toward diesel engines during this time period.[citation needed] The lack of power steering was a hindrance in off-road, close quarters, and snow-plowing duties (although most civilian and Air Force models had power steering).[citation needed] Around 44,000 M880/M890s were produced during the 1976–1977 model years and were used by the Army and Air Force until the late 1990s.