Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

M939

1982 COLD WAR MODERN

History

For decades, the U.S. Army has relied on the M39 series 5-ton trucks, introduced in the 1950s, as its primary heavy-duty transport, and the 5-ton inventory expanded when the M809 entered service in the 1970s. By the end of the century, an improved version of the M809 had been conceived, and AM General developed it as the XM939 - which became the official M939.

In 1982, a pair of pilot vehicles was completed for evaluation and entered service. Since then, the series has developed many variants that have evolved from the same base design.

The base hauler features a 6x6 full suspension wheel scheme and is powered by a 240 hp Cummins NHC 250 6-cylinder diesel engine with a 5-speed drivetrain. The vehicle has a total weight of 22,750 pounds and measures 25.6 feet long, 8 feet wide and 9.6 feet high. Street speeds can reach 65 mph and range is up to 350 miles.

The overall layout of the truck is traditional, with the engine at the front and the cab right behind it, while the flat section at the rear is customized for specific battlefield roles.

AM General received an initial production contract for 11,394 trucks in 1981. For a while, the M939 truck was produced at the same time as the M809, and they eventually succeeded. Early M939 prototypes were built from existing stock of M809 vehicles, as AM General was also responsible for making them (unlike M39s from International Harvester, Kaiser, and others).

The main M939 and M939A1 trucks are from AM General, while the subsequent M939A2 model (with a Cummins 6CTA8.3 diesel engine) is from Bowen-McLaughlin-York (BMY).

The series eventually grew to include many models developed from basic truck shapes. These include a trailer, a dump truck, a tractor trailer (for towing the trailer), a retractable truck (body mounted on the rear of the flatbed), and a "cleaner" with a heavy-duty winch in the rear Handicap cars.

Even in some of these brands there are sub-variants, such as the M927, which evolved from the Freighter series - from the M923 to the M928 series. The M939 has also been adapted for deployment in active theater missions in Iraq - with a "heavy armored" cab that provides some protection against small arms fire and improvised explosive devices.

The M939 family continues to export large quantities to US allies (current or former) including Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.