Army orders Humvee window kits

Above: On the day following Christmas last year, Jeremiah Johnson, Joey Strong and Logan Tinsley's Humvee hit a slick and rolled over into a canal in Iraq. Joey Strong and Logan Tinsley drowned. Jeremiah Johnson suffered irreversible brain damage from 12 minutes under water, and with his family at his side, was removed from life support one week later.

The Army has ordered 1,000 kits for new windows that would allow troops to get out of Humvees quickly in an emergency, according to BAE Systems.

The Vehicle Emergency Escape windows have a handle that troops can turn to unlock and pop them out in about five seconds, the company Web site says.

The windows particularly come in handy when Humvees overturn or become submerged, said BAE Systems spokesman Ryan May.

Up-armored Humvees are “a little top-heavy,” so they have a tendency to tip over, May explained.

With the new windows, troops can get out of an overturned Humvee in about a minute, he said.

The alternative in such situations is to rip off a Humvee door, which can weigh 500 pounds.

Read the rest at Stars and Stripes

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