Army orders 1,669 JLTV armored combat vehicles and VICTORY-compliant vetronics in half-billion dollar deal
WARREN, Mich. – Armored combat vehicles designers at Oshkosh Defense LLC in Oshkosh, Wis., are building 1,669 new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) systems under terms of an order announced last week worth more than a half a billion dollars.
Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich., are asking Oshkosh to build the 1,669 new JLTVs in a $591.6 million order, which includes JLTVs for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and the governments of Slovenia, Montenegro, Brazil, and Lithuania.
The Oshkosh JLTV is a VICTORY-compliant light utility and combat multi-role vehicle that is expected to deliver a level of protection similar to that of current, but far heavier and less maneuverable, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) class designs, and much better than the latest armored HMMWV combat vehicles.
The order consists of 1,669 Joint Light Tactical Vehicle trucks, 868 JLTV trailers and related kits and parts. The JLTV is a version of the Oshkosh Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV). The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) wants to buy 54,599 JLTVs -- 49,099 for the U.S. Army and 5,500 for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The JLTV features a vetronics architecture that complies with the Army's VICTORY electronics standard. VICTORY stands for Vehicular Integration for C4ISR/EW Interoperability. C4ISR/EW stands for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance/electronic warfare.
The JLTV's VICTORY-compliant modular, scalable, open-architecture vetronics is designed to support rapidly evolving C4ISR suites. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that the DOD will spend more than $53.3 billion on the JLTV program -- $1.1 billion for research and at least $52.3 billion for procurement.
The JLTV has two variants -- a two seat and a four seat variant, as well as a companion trailer (JLTV-T). The Oshkosh vehicle offers the Core1080 crew protection for survivability, turret operated systems, remote weapons systems, and tube-launched missile system.
Related: Oshkosh Defense chooses vetronics solid-state power controllers from DDC for military JLTV
The Oshkosh JLTV features the company's TAK-4i intelligent independent suspension system that adjusts ride-height type with as much as 20 inches of wheel travel. The vehicle also has the digitally controlled General Motors Duramax V8 cylinder 6.6-liter diesel engine.
The vehicle can accommodate light, medium, and heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, smoke grenade launchers, or anti-tank missiles, operated from ring mounts or a remote weapon station. The Contracting command awarded the contract on behalf of the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, Mich.
On this order Oshkosh will do the work in Oshkosh, Wis., and should be finished by August 2023. For more information contact Oshkosh Defense online at https://oshkoshdefense.com, or Army TACOM at www.tacom.army.mil.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
