What is the history of A/C in FMTV vehicles?

I'm in the process of finally installing A/C in my M1088. Just curious about the history of A/C in FMTV's. I know that the original units were rare, but which vehicles got them? Just the HIMARS? Do newer FMTV's get these units as standard now, given the armor?

I have been looking through the TM's and have found no reference to them. Anyone know where this info is? I am putting my GEN 2 in now and wanted to know if this is an expansion valve system and if this needed to be added? Maybe valve is already inside unit?

Thank you in advance!

I believe it is txv and the valve is in the evap unit…

Correct. They are expansion valve systems.

The earliest AC I believe was developed for prototypes and I think was always an option but just one the military rarely ordered till the HIMARS Crew Protection Cab was fielded around 2001. Those all have AC out of necessity as do all armored cabs since when they go on deployment and the "Heated Transparent Armor" is installed, the door glass doesn't slide so you're in an oven and would definitely perish without AC. Basically all US armor has AC for the crew. Including LTAS FMTV's.

The AC system is covered in the 2017 edition of the FMTV A1 manuals as well as in the A1P2 manuals where it is essentially identical to the later A1 truck system.

GeneralDisorder said:

Correct. They are expansion valve systems.

The earliest AC I believe was developed for prototypes and I think was always an option but just one the military rarely ordered till the HIMARS Crew Protection Cab was fielded around 2001. Those all have AC out of necessity as do all armored cabs since when they go on deployment and the "Heated Transparent Armor" is installed, the door glass doesn't slide so you're in an oven and would definitely perish without AC. Basically all US armor has AC for the crew. Including LTAS FMTV's.

The AC system is covered in the 2017 edition of the FMTV A1 manuals as well as in the A1P2 manuals where it is essentially identical to the later A1 truck system.

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Interesting. I guess I will have the production date on my AC unit and scan the 2017 TMs. Thank you.

A/C wasn't commonplace until the P1 armored variant trucks came about and those weren't factory installed. We are talking "ironclad" style looking trucks with wrapped fuel tanks and A/C kits that could be retrofit in country. That being said..

HIMARS Gen1 cabs didn't come with A/C from the factory. I have 3 NOS cabs on a pallets and 2 more in use on my trucks. The M1096 (cab, chassis, long) rolled off the factory floor from S&S like every other soft cab truck of that era and went direct to other defense contractors to be outfitted into their final designations. The Gen1 cab wasn't designated armor as it's more of a fragmentation/blast resistant cab and those surplus cabs were sold to the public. They didn't have a long service life.

All M1093A1R 2008-2011 trucks received factory A/C from BAE systems. All LTAS cab trucks from Oshkosh have factory A/C as they could be up armored in country. I bet it was cheaper to have it now than install that in country too.

Perhaps AC was generally ordered by HIMARS units to install along with the cab cause the one's I have seen did have it though it must have come separate from the cab - the surplus used HIMARS cab I have doesn't have any HVAC components left in it as they would have been swapped into the LSAC cab that replaced the CP cab. My guess is the NOS cab doesn't have it because it would have been supplied separately from Red Dot not O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt who built the cabs.

GeneralDisorder said:

Perhaps AC was generally ordered by HIMARS units to install along with the cab cause the one's I have seen did have it though it must have come separate from the cab - the surplus used HIMARS cab I have doesn't have any HVAC components left in it as they would have been swapped into the LSAC cab that replaced the CP cab. My guess is the NOS cab doesn't have it because it would have been supplied separately from Red Dot not O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt who built the cabs.

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I thought the HIMARS was setup to be capable of withstanding a biological attack. Meaning a pressurized cab... Maybe?

Mullaney said:

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I thought the HIMARS was setup to be capable of withstanding a biological attack. Meaning a pressurized cab... Maybe?

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It is pressurized. Not particularly to withstand any specific attack though it would probably help in terms of NBC. The real concern is the missile exhaust gasses and the dust kicked up by the launch. Some of these missiles can travel like 300-400 miles.

The AC system would be running in recirculation mode which is more efficient typically anyway.