H.A.V.O.C.

Whenever the G.I. Joe Team needs heavy firepower on their side, the H.A.V.O.C. is there!

Overview[]

When the going gets tough, the Joes need to get the toughest vehicle to get going! And they don't come any tougher than the H.A.V.O.C.!

Rumbling across the battlefield and delivering staggering quantities of firepower and laying waste to its enemies, the H.A.V.O.C. lives up to its not-so ironic namesake and leaves nothing in its wake but broken and defeated enemies.

A staple of the G.I. Joe arsenal, the H.A.V.O.C. is considered one of their premiere vehicles and is capable of functioning across a wide variety of environments and the roughest terrains to deliver a knockout punch to the forces of COBRA!

Technical Specifications[]

• MODEL: Heavy Articulated Vehicle Ordnance Carrier

• TYPE: Heavy Ground Assault with Short-Ranged Aerial Support Craft

• MASS:  54 tons (fully loaded)

• CREW COMPLEMENT: 1 Driver, 1 Co-Driver, 1 Command Gunner, 1 GEV Support Craft Pilot

• MAXIMUM SPEED: 40 mph (miles per hour) for tracked vehicle fully loaded; 64 mph (miles per hour) for GEV Hovercraft

• PRIMARY MANUFACTURER: U.S. Army

Design Features[]

The H.A.V.O.C. is a heavy armored fighting vehicle with strong armor, enormous firepower, and good battlefield maneuverability for front-line combat.  Weighing approximately 54 tons when fully loaded, it is a heavy tracked vehicle consisting of two major segments; the forward pilot cockpit and the rear compartment housing a GEV (Ground Effect Vehicle), a short-ranged hovercraft flight pod.

The H.A.V.O.C. is  driven by four half-tracks mounted on either side of the vehicle, two on the forward half and two on the rear. It's powerful 9 liter, 900 HP twin turbo diesel engine allows this mean machine to reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (mph) fully loaded and with an operational range of 419 miles.  It can travel across roads and cross-country terrain as well as function in a wide variety of environments from jungles to arctic conditions.  It's extremely heavy armor plating allows it to withstand sustained firepower directed at it without significant damage.

The forward section features a large clear impact-resistant plastic cockpit canopy that provides a wide panoramic view of the battlefield for the two drivers/operators who are lying prone in the driver's cabin.  This cockpit canopy tilts back to allow egress for the operators.

The forward section has a pair of hydraulically driven articulated arms that are attached to a gunnery platform mounted with a pair of powerful rotary cannons. This platform also features an open-air gunner seat for a dedicated gunner.  In addition, it appears to function as a secondary driver/operator position to drive and control the H.A.V.O.C.  The pair of articulated arms for increased elevation and altering the angle of the platform. This gunnery platform with its rotary cannons is the main firepower of the H.A.V.O.C. itself.

The rear section contains a series of retractable armor plating that contains a reinforced lift-off platform compartment for a GEV hovercraft that is normally docked in this section. On command, these armor plates unfold to allow for the launch or retrieval of the GEV Hovercraft.   

The GEV is powered by a 110 HP "Blower" direct ignition engine that allows it to fly at a top speed of 60 miles per hour (mph) with a range of 80 miles. The GEV functions as a secondary fighter platform or as an advanced aerial scout.  However, the GEV is only comparatively lightly armored compared to the main H.A.V.O.C. and can be relatively easily disabled.  

Armaments[]

One of the most heavily armed G.I. Joe vehicles, the H.A.V.O.C. is equipped with a pair of recoiless 75 mm "Leveler" gatling cannons mounted on the forward-facing gunnery platform. These cannons are the main firepower of the vehicle and with the pair of articulated mountings, allows it to elevate in order to adjust to different arc angles for targets that the H.A.V.O.C. approaches or vice versa. Typically, these cannons are controlled via the command gunnery seat on the top of the platform itself.  However, these cannons are strictly forward facing and cannot bear on targets not directly in front of the H.A.V.O.C. itself thus requiring the entire vehicle to turn itself to facing any target.

The H.A.V.O.C. also features a pair of 9 mm "Repeater" auto-loading cannons mounted on the nose that swivel from side to side and another pair on the rear compartment that can rotate to fire backwards or on the flanks of the vehicle itself. The H.A.V.O.C. also carries four "Lancer" bi-pulse guidance missiles mounted rearward to deter pursuit or attempts to attack the H.A.V.O.C. from its blind spot.  

In addition, the GEV hovercraft is armed with a pair of a pair of computer-synchronized 7.62mm machine guns.  

However all of this stupendous firepower comes at a high cost as to maintain its size and speed; the H.A.V.O.C. can only carry so much ammunition reserves and will otherwise exhaust its ammunition after a very short sustained campaigns and thus, the H.A.V.O.C. depends on additional supplies to replenish its ammunition and expended ordnance.  

History[]

Production Notes[]

In 1982, Hasbro began the relaunch of the G.I. Joe action figures accompanied by various playsets and vehicles.  The new concept sparked unprecedented levels of popularity, producing over 500 action figures with 250 vehicles and sets. 

The H.A.V.O.C. with its exclusive driver, Cross-Country was released in 1986 by Hasbro as part of its fifth wave of action vehicles in a boxed set. 

The quirky design of the H.A.V.O.C. quickly made it one of the featured vehicles in the Sunbow cartoon series in the second season with its primary driver, Cross-Country making several appearances and cameos throughout the rest of the series and the G.I. Joe movie as well as the H.A.V.O.C. itself.

The toy itself was reissued as a recolored model known as "Sky Havoc" in 1990.   

The name was also reused for the 2014 released H.A.V.O.C. MK-II toy model. Oddly enough however, it featured a totally different re-issued and recolored toy model using the original 1985 G.I. Joe Snowcat Vehicle which actually bore little resemblance to the original H.A.V.O.C. it was reputedly a successor to.