Oshkosh Wins $115 Million Bid For Current U.S. Army All-Terrain Vehicle
by June 4, 2015 4:27 pm 354 views
Lockheed Martin rival Oshkosh Corp. may have received a boost to its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) bid when the U.S. Army announced Wednesday, (June 3) that it plans to purchase an additional 300 of the company’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, described by military experts as a predecessor to the JLTV.
Although not the same as the lighter, more mobile and technology-friendly JLTV prototypes, Oshkosh’s MRAP has emerged as a crucial part of the military all-service M-ATV (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected All-Terrain Vehicle) for combat patrols in Afghanistan.
According to Oshkosh’s JLTV application to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps on Feb. 10, the Wisconsin defense contractor produced its JLTV prototypes on the same active and proven production line used for its MRAP vehicles.
Although larger, Oshkosh’s MRAP looks very similar to the smaller JLTV version that it plans to build if it wins the high-stakes military contract to build 55,000 of the armored, all-terrain vehicles. In Iran and Afghanistan, most of the Marine Corps units are now outfitted with the heavily-armored, missile-carrying all-terrain vehicle.
“Oshkosh’s operational capability and expertise ensures that soldiers operating in M-ATVs have mission-ready vehicles equipped with the latest protection and technologies for a full range of missions,” said John Bryant, senior vice president of defense programs at Oshkosh Defense.
In a news release, Oshkosh also takes a slight dig at Lockheed Martin by noting twice that it is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), or truck builder, and it is best suited to standardize the M-ATV fleet for the U.S. military.
“As the OEM, Oshkosh can provide the best quality and speed for the vehicle reset – and ultimately get the vehicles back into the field where they are needed,” Bryant said.
On Tuesday, Lockheed officials told reporters in a webinar touting the company’s JLTV production operations in Camden that its lack of OEM experience will not hurt its chances at winning the Pentagon’s high stakes JLTV contract.
“This is a very process-focused and process-centric company,” said Lockheed Martin’s Vice President of Production Operations Randy O’Neal. “Our production facility is expandable and contractible, and it will be very efficient.”
The U.S. Army awarded Oshkosh an M-ATV base contract for an additional 500 vehicles on Aug. 6, 2014, and options for 300 additional vehicles in December. The contract modification announced on May 28 includes the reset of another 360 M-ATVs with options to reset up to 1,440 more.
The delivery start date for this latest modification is October 2015. In total, Oshkosh is on contract to reset 1,160 M-ATVs for a combined value of more than $115 million. Oshkosh was awarded the original M-ATV production contract in June 2009 and remains on contract to provide life cycle service and support through July 2018.
“Oshkosh’s operational capability and expertise ensures that soldiers operating in M-ATVs have mission-ready vehicles equipped with the latest protection and technologies for a full range of missions,” Oshkosh’s Bryant added. “As the OEM, Oshkosh can provide the best quality and speed for the vehicle reset – and ultimately get the vehicles back into the field where they are needed.”
Besides Lockheed Martin and Oshkosh, both publicly traded companies, privately held AM General LLC in South Bend, Ind., is the other finalist to build the next-generation tactical, armored vehicle in a contract worth more than $30 billion through 2040.
The Pentagon is expected to announce the winning award for the highly-prized bid to manufacture some 55,000 new tactical ground vehicles for the nation’s military this summer.