Today in WW II: 22 May 1939 Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany sign the Pact of Steel, a declaration of trust and cooperation that also included secret provisions on military and economic matters.

M-1070 Heavy Transporter Truck & M-1000 Trailer

The Heavy Equipment Transport System (HETS) consists of the M1070 Truck Tractor and the M1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter Semi-trailer. The HETS transports payloads up to 70 tons – primarily M1 Abrams tanks.

HETS operates worldwide on highways worldwide, secondary roads, and cross-country. The HETS has a number of features that significantly improve the mobility and overall performance of the system in a tactical environment. The M1070 tractor has front- and rear-axle steering, a central tire-inflation system, and cab space for six personnel to accommodate the two HETS operators and four tank crewmen. The M1000 semi-trailer has automatically steerable axles and a load-leveling hydraulic suspension.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-1070 HETS at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

US Army Reserve 257th Transportation Company M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport Truck (HETT) with an M1000 trailer, arrives to assist the Marine Corps reserves with the 6th Motor Transportation Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve, during exercise Javelin Thrust-09, Bridgeport, CA, 14 June 2009.

Workers unchain Heavy Equipment Transport (HET) military M1070 tractors and M1000 trailers from a rail flatbed a Camp Atterbury Joint Manuever Training Center, IN, 17 December 2007. More than 32 HETs arrived at Camp Atterbury from Fort Riley, KS, for use by the 205th Infantry Brigade, First Army to train Army logisticians in using the oversized tracker trailers in combat zones. At the side, an M1009 CUCV (Blazer) and a service vehicle stand by.

A Palletized Load System (PLS) vehicle is loaded onto a Heavy Equipment Transport (HETS) assigned to the 129th Transportation Company, at Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, 12 September 2011. The 129th is assigned to haul equipment out of closing bases as part of the withdraw of U.S. Forces from Iraq before the 31 Dec 2011 deadline.

An M-1 Abrams main battle tank is secured to the bed of an M-1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) semi-trailer during testing of the trailer, Fort McCoy, WI, 1990. The tractor is the Oshkosh M1070 HETS.

M1070 truck-tractor can haul up to 70 tons over improved or unimproved roads, usually pulling the M1000 semitrailer, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, 6 September 2012. The 1462nd TC (MING) trained soldiers from 3rd Infantry Division and Tennessee Army National Guard 230th Engineer Battalion.

Workers unchain Oshkosh M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport (HET) military vehicles from a rail flatbed at Camp Atterbury Joint Manuever Training Center, IN, 17 December 2007. More than 32 HETs arrived at Camp Atterbury from Fort Riley, KS, for use by the 205th Infantry Brigade, First Army to train Army logisticians in using the oversized tracker trailers in combat zones. At the side, an M1009 CUCV (Blazer) and a service vehicle stand by.

The Heavy Equipment Transport System (HETS) entered service in 1993.

M-1070 Heavy Transporter Truck & M-1000 Trailer Characteristics

Tractor length:	358 in
Tractor width:	102 in
Trailer length:	622 in
Trailer width (at rear bumper):	144.8 in
Tractor curb weight:	41,000 lbs
Trailor curb weight:	50,000 lbs
Payload:	140,000 lbs
Engine:	500 horsepower Detroit Diesel
Transmission:	5-speed automatic
Speed:	40-45 mph on highway (25-30 mph with 70 ton payload)
Range:	300 mi
Fording:	28 in
Air transportability:	C-5A and C-17
Tractor Manufacturer:	Oshkosh Truck - Oshkosh, WI
Semitrailer Manufacturer:	Systems & Electronics, Inc - St Louis, MO

M-1070 Heavy Transporter Truck & M-1000 Trailer Photo Gallery

M-1000 Semi-trailer w/70 ton MBT.

M-1070 HET.