Oshkosh Defense [OSK] yesterday joined the competition for the Army-Navy Joint Light Tactical Vehicle engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) program, a ground vehicle to modernize the light tactical fleet.
It is offering its latest generation of its Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV) to upgrade the light tactical fleet with MRAP-level protection and unprecedented mobility in future missions.
Unveiled in October, the L-ATV has been extensively tested and proven to meet or exceed all of the JLTV program’s requirements (Defense Daily, Oct 10).
“Military leaders have recognized JLTV as one of their top modernization priorities, and the Oshkosh L-ATV entry represents our significant investment in this project and showcases our advanced technology,” said John Bryant, vice president and general manager of Joint and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. “Our engineers have drawn upon extensive tactical vehicle operating experience in Iraq and Afghanistan to develop the L-ATV, with an eye toward future combat environments.”
The Oshkosh L-ATV is designed to keep soldiers and Marines safe as battlefield threats evolve, the company said. The vehicle’s crew protection system has been extensively tested and proven to optimize protection, weight and mobility. The L-ATV can accept multiple armor configurations so it can easily be adapted to changing operational requirements.
The L-ATV also uses the Oshkosh TAK-4i™ intelligent independent suspension system, building on the success of the TAK-4 family of suspensions used on more than 20,000 military vehicles. The TAK-4i system is tailored for high-performance, lightweight vehicles to give Warfighters unprecedented mobility in severe off-road terrain. It uses an advanced Oshkosh technology to deliver 20 inches of independent wheel travel; 25 percent more than any vehicle fielded with the U.S. military today.
The L-ATV also offers expanded power capabilities, greater fuel efficiency and integrated diagnostics compared to legacy engine technologies. Also, there is an optional Oshkosh ProPulse® diesel-electric hybrid powertrain available to further improve fuel economy, lower life-cycle costs, and provide high levels of stationary and on-the-move exportable power.
Oshkosh committed significant resources for light vehicle research and development to produce the L-ATV, the company said in a statement. In preparation for the JLTV EMD phase, six generations of Oshkosh light vehicles were developed to respond to evolving requirements.
Oshkosh’s L-ATV verified designs have gone through rigorous JLTV-mission-profile testing, including an L-ATV prototype, the LCTV, that completed the 1,061-mile Baja 1000 off-road race in the unforgiving terrain of the Mexican desert, demonstrating its unprecedented performance capabilities and reliability.
“Since 2006, we have aggressively and continuously worked to design, develop and test the L-ATV to deliver a robust, mature solution for the JLTV EMD phase,” Bryant said. “Our new product development process allowed us to develop multiple generations, which is why our JLTV solution is currently ready for Low Rate Initial Production.”