June 20, 2007 6:11 AM PDT
This door may not be very stylish, but it does provide improved protection against small-arms fire and explosive fragments. Something else that makes it notable is the turnaround speed in development: a prototype, with fabrication and mounting instructions, was provided within one week; the first door kits were delivered within one month. The official name of the invention: the M1114 Humvee Interim Fragmentation Kit 5. It was whipped up by the Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
Most of the top inventions of 2006 have already reached soldiers in the field, the Army said. The winners were selected according to three criteria: inventiveness, impact on Army capabilities and potential use outside the Army.
Photo by U.S. Army/Unclassified/Sipa Press
