Mack Defense said Monday it has received an order to deliver 144 more of its new M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDT) to the U.S. Army and Army Reserve.
The order for additional trucks, which are based on the commercial Mack Granite model, was placed under the seven-year, $296 million deal the Army awarded Mack Defense in May 2018.
“We are proud to maintain our production operation which was created for the U.S. Army M917A3 HDT program, and we are extremely proud that our Mack Defense HDT vehicles, which have been fielded, are meeting and exceeding expectations,” David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense said in a statement. “Mack Defense remains committed to producing vehicles for the U.S. armed forces based on modified versions of our industry-leading Mack vehicles providing the latest technologies and best value while meeting the military’s demanding requirements.”
The company noted the Army has previously ordered 155 HDTs to date, with those vehicles built and deliveries ongoing, while the total contract may cover up to 683 armored and non-armored versions of the new truck.
The Army received its first batch of Mack Defense’s M917A3 HDTs in 2019, ultimately receiving 12 vehicles that underwent a 40-week durability testing program, before accepting the first production truck last September (Defense Daily, Oct. 1 2021).
The M917A3 is set to replace AM General’s MM917, which has been in service for more than 40 years, and is based on Mack Defense’s Granite civilian model upgraded with heavier-duty axles, all-wheel drive and increased suspension ride height.
Mack Defense noted the the Army and Army Reserve use the HDTs as a “key component in construction and maintenance missions for infrastructure assets, such as airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities and motor pools.”