As the Army pursues its next-generation Common Tactical Truck (CTT) effort, House appropriators want the service to conduct an Analysis of Alternatives study for the program that would include assessing the option of modernizing via recapitalization of the current Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) truck fleet.
In the bill report accompanying its proposed fiscal year 2025 defense spending legislation, House appropriators cited concerns the Army’s effort to pursue a common chassis across mission variants for CTT could “unintentionally reduce competition and increase costs.”
“The committee supports efforts to maximize commonality and leverage commercial practices in Tactical Wheeled Vehicle procurements. However, the Committee is concerned by the Army’s acquisition strategy for the Common Tactical Truck, including the decision to combine vehicles with different mission requirements into one configuration,” lawmakers write in the bill report.
The House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee advanced its $833.1 billion FY ‘25 spending bill, with the full committee set to mark up the bill on Thursday (Defense Daily, June 5).
The Army in January 2023 selected Oshkosh Defense [OSK], Mack Defense, Navistar Defense and a team of American Rheinmetall Vehicles and GM Defense [GM] to deliver prototypes for its CTT next-generation tactical truck program (Defense Daily, Jan. 30 2023).
The four vendors selected for the effort were awarded $24.3 million in deals and are tasked with delivering prototypes for the following three CTT variants: the Load Handling System (LHS), Off-Road Tractor, and Line Haul Tractor, as well as providing digital designs for the cargo and tanker variants and conducting a design study for a potential wrecker platform.
Each of the firms delivered their prototypes earlier this year, with Alvin Bing, the Army’s product lead for CTT, previously telling Defense Daily the current testing and operations demo for the initial prototype phase is planned to run through this September.
CTT is intended to replace the Army’s current FHTV truck fleet, currently built by Oshkosh Defense, with new variants that utilize a common chassis and meet roles for the M915 Line Haul Tractor and M1088 Medium Tractor; Palletized Load System (PLS); and Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT).
House appropriators’ provision in the bill report directs the Army’s acquisition chief to conduct a formal Analysis of Alternatives study for CTT, to include studying the option for modernizing FHTVs via recapitalization, and to submit a report on the findings within 120 days of the legislation’s passage.
The CTT prototyping effort is expected to inform final requirements leading to an updated capabilities development document in FY 25, with an aim to move into a full and open competition for production in FY ‘26.