AUSA 2025: AM General debuts new-gen Hawkeye 105 mm Mobile Howitzer System

US tactical vehicle provider AM General is making a debut with its restyled, next-generation Hawkeye 105 mm Mobile Howitzer System (MHS) at the 2025 Association of the US Army (AUSA) Exposition, held in Washington, DC, from 13 to 15 October.

The next-generation Hawkeye 105 mm MHS is what AM General describes as “a distinctively restyled artillery truck that integrates the best of the company’s light tactical vehicle platform with a new design and powertrain that results in a lightweight, agile, rugged and lethal platform”.

The Hawkeye MHS, which mounts the normally towed M119 105 mm howitzer onto a Humvee tactical vehicle, can be emplaced, fired and displaced in under 90 seconds, maximising its survivability by being able to avoid counter-battery fire. At the heart of the system is a patented soft-recoil technology, which reduces recoil forces by up to 60% and enables integration of a larger-calibre weapon on a nimble, rugged platform.

According to AM General, the latest enhancements to the Hawkeye MHS “are based on extensive firing and combat testing in the laboratory of war”. This refers to the fact that the company shipped a 2-CT Hawkeye MHS to Ukraine in April 2024 for testing and evaluation.

The new type of highly mobile, precision-capable artillery system represented by the Hawkeye MHS is the kind of platform the US Army and other forces are increasingly looking at as they seek to divest more static – and therefore vulnerable – towed artillery pieces from their inventories.

Also being shown at AUSA 2025 is AM General’s improved Joint Light Tactical Vehicle A2 (JLTV A2) and the JLTV-Trailer, as well as the company’s Mission Integrated Maneuverable Interoperable Conformable Vehicle (MIMIC-V): a purpose-built special operations vehicle.

The JLTV A2, which is being shown at AUSA 2025 fitted with the Kongsberg M156 Crows remote weapons station, has a new, more fuel-efficient powertrain, enhanced corrosion control and optimised systems repacking for ease of maintenance. The JLTV-Trailer is being shown enhanced with AV Switchblade 600 loitering munitions to give the JLTV set-up increased lethality.

The MIMIC-V, meanwhile, is being shown with an integrated unmanned aerial system (UAS) and high-calibre weapons for special forces operations. The vehicle has been configured to serve as a mobile drone operations hub, enabling rapid deployment, launch and recovery of XTEND Defense’s human-guided autonomous drone systems.

For AUSA 2025 AM General has also collaborated with Isreal’s Spear UAV to integrate its Viper 300 quadcopter loitering munition for precision strikes and beyond-line-of-sight engagements.

The MIMIC-V is additionally upfitted with Israeli firm TriEye’s CMOS-based short-wave Infrared (SWIR) technology, which is designed to overcome adverse conditions and deliver high-resolution imaging and 3D depth perception where standard cameras are blinded.

“The TriEye integration offers unprecedented situational awareness, potentially giving troops a critical advantage across the entire spectrum of military operations,” according to AM General.

“These new capabilities deliver unmatched operational flexibility and agility for special operations and light infantry units operating in complex environments,” AM General added.