How many patients can a M996 HMMWV carry?

The M996 HMMWV, which stands for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, is designed for medical evacuation purposes and has specific configurations to accommodate patients. The correct choice indicates that the vehicle can carry 2 litter patients, who are typically those unable to sit up and need to be laid flat, or 6 ambulatory patients, who can sit and move independently.

This configuration is purposeful for maximizing the capacity of the vehicle while ensuring the safety and comfort of patients during transport. The setup is essential for operational efficiency in field environments, where the medics need to quickly evacuate patients without compromising care quality.

The incorrect options include numbers that either misrepresent the vehicle's capacity for litter patients or ambulatory patients, which leads to misunderstandings of its operational capabilities. Thus, 2 litter and 6 ambulatory represent the correct and functional loadout for the M996 HMMWV, aligning with standard military medical evacuation protocols.