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As you may or may not know, the Humvee has been serving the US Military for a very long. At this point, the Humvee has become extremely outdated and the military is replacing old Humvees every day. Back in August of 2015, Oshkosh Defense won the contract for building the Humvees successor.
Fast forwards two years to August 2017 and the US Army has placed their fifth order for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), this time it was 748 vehicles and 2,359 installed/apackaged kits. The order placed by the US Army totals up to an impressive $195,000,000.
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The JLTV program is currently on-schedule and on-budget, which isn’t always the case with U.S. military programs. “Soldiers and Marines need a reliable, transportable, and protected mobility solution that balances payload, protection, and performance,” said Dave Diersen, Oshkosh Defense VP and GM of Joint Programs.
Although the JLTV is currently being produced in low volume, it is performing very well in reliability and performance tests around the country. High volume production is projected to begin in 2019 and should include fully equipped versions for the Army in mid-2019. US Army and Marine Corps Initial Operating Capability will be in early 2020.
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Some facts about the Oshkosh JLTV:
- It’s 33-percent smaller and lighter than the Oshkosh MRAP, or M-ATV
- It features a modular design which allows for quick outfitting for a range different missions
- The Banks 866T engine used in the JLTV is based on the GM 6.6-liter Duramax engine.
- It’s fully transportable by air or sea. This is makes getting the JLTV to remote locations much easier.
- The JLTV is an impressive 70-percent off-road than the Oshkosh M-ATV
We’re looking forwards to how well the JLTV will serve in the U.S. military.