Oshkosh Defense LLC reports it has a new, $67-million contract to supply a total of 265 Medium Tactical Vehicles for the U.S. Army, with deliveries occurring in 2015-2016. Details were not announced for the specific types of vehicles to be manufactured.
The U.S. Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC), the Michigan-based command center that locates materials, manages acquisitions, and implements technology and logistics for the U.S. armed forces, placed the order.
Oshkosh Defense is a business unit of Oshkosh Corporation that began manufacturing the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) in 2010, taking over the program from BAE Systems Land and Armaments, though it originated in 1996 and has continued under several manufacturers.
In addition to the U.S. Army and National Guard, the FMTV is supplied to defense units of Iraq, Jordan, and Thailand.
The Wisconsin-based manufacturer is one of the contractors bidding the U.S. Department of Defense to build the new joint light tactical vehicles, a program intended to replace the Humvee for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and due to be awarded this year.
The FMTV is a series of vehicles based on a common truck chassis design, outfitted variously for different payloads and mission requirements. There are 17 models and 23 configurations in total, all based on a 2.5-ton 4X4 Light Medium Tactical Vehicle, i.e., cargo trucks and vans; or the 5-ton 6X6 Medium Tactical Vehicle, i.e., cargo trucks and long-wheelbase cargo trucks, with or without material handling equipment, tractors, vans, wreckers, and dump trucks.
Functioning as tactical and combat vehicles, and used in relief efforts and unit resupply missions, FMTVs are outfitted with crew-protecting armor and advanced technologies that support troop transport and supply, vehicle recovery, and weapon systems transport.
The manufacturer noted FMTV vehicles have more than 80% parts commonality, which streamlines maintenance, training, sustainment and overall cost.
“The Oshkosh FMTV program exemplifies the quality and value that we provide to our military customers,” said John Bryant, senior vice president of defense programs at Oshkosh Defense. “Since the day Oshkosh was awarded the FMTV program, we’ve applied our vehicle expertise and operational efficiency to dramatically improve quality – all while saving U.S. taxpayers more than $2 billion. Today’s Oshkosh-produced FMTVs are supporting soldiers in operations around the world with the more reliable equipment they deserve.”
Oshkosh has delivered over 22,000 trucks and 11,000 trailers in its four years helming the FMTV program, and earned recognition by the U.S. Department of Defense with its 2013 Value Engineering Achievement Award for improving product quality and reliability, while reducing product and lifecycle cost.
