Mean-Looking Replacement for US Army Humvee Revealed

Oshkosh Defense has been awarded a $6.75-billion contract to build the new U.S. Army Humvee replacement.

Called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Oshkosh Defense will build 17,000 vehicles for the Army and the Marine Corps, according to USNI. Along with Oshkosh Defense, AM General and Lockheed Martin were also competing for the contract, which is the largest ground vehicle program in recent history. The three companies were picked in 2012 to built prototypes for testing and this past February, they submitted their bids for the low-rate initial production contract.

According to a March Congressional Research Service report on the program, Oshkosh Defense will move into five years of full-rate production following the initial 17,000 vehicles over the three years of low-rate initial production.

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The first Army unit will receive JLTVs by Fiscal Year 2018 with acquisition lasting until 2040. The Marine Corps program will last through Fiscal Year 2022. Overall, the new vehicles are larger and more survivable than the Humvees they replace while being more reliable and maintainable with on-board diagnostics. Two variants will be produced, one being a four-passenger combat tactical vehicle and a two-passenger combat support vehicle. Each vehicle will pack 370 hp and will have to weigh under 15,639 pounds so that they can be carried on Marine Corps and Army helicopters.

“Following a rigorous, disciplined JLTV competition, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are giving our nation’s Warfighters the world’s most capable light vehicle – the Oshkosh JLTV,” said Charles L. Szews, Oshkosh Corporation chief executive officer. “Oshkosh is honored to be selected for the JLTV production contract, which builds upon our 90-year history of producing tactical wheeled vehicles for U.S. military operations at home and abroad. We are fully prepared to build a fleet of exceptional JLTVs to serve our troops in future missions.”