Oshkosh Defense has signed a contract with the Department of Defense to replace the US military’s aged HMMWVs with a lightweight vehicle through the joint light tactical vehicle (JLTV) programme’s engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) phase.
Under the contract, Oshkosh will deliver 22 Oshkosh-designed and manufactured JLTV prototypes within a year of contract award and also supports government testing and evaluation of the prototypes.
Joint US Army and US Marine programme manages JLTV under the leadership of the US Army's program executive office for combat support and combat service support (PEO CS&CSS).
The Oshkosh JLTV delivers new automotive technologies, crew protection system as well as a new TAK-4i independent suspension system to achieve JLTV performance at an affordable price, the company said.
Oshkosh executive vice president and Oshkosh Defense president John Urias said the JLTV programme will support its troops who stand in harm's way and deserve the best equipment.
"The Oshkosh JLTV solution will allow the Army and Marine Corps to provide unprecedented levels of protection and off-road mobility in a light vehicle - so that their troops can accomplish their missions and return home safely," Urias said.
JLTV application, which is also called as the Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle or L-ATV, offers a new crew protection system to optimise crew survivability.
The L-ATV can accept multiple armor configurations, which allows the vehicle to adapt to changing operational requirements. It applies the Oshkosh TAK-4i intelligent independent-suspension system to improve the speeds when operating off-road.
Oshkosh Defense Joint and Marine Corps Programs vice president and general manager John Bryant said, "The Oshkosh JLTV solution was designed with a purpose - to keep Warfighters safe on future battlefields with unpredictable terrain, tactics, and threats."
