Oshkosh Defense [OSK], even as it awaits judgment on its incumbency building the vehicles for the Army, has rolled out its 25,000th medium tactical vehicle.
Technically the truck that left the company’s Wisconsin factory was a member of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, or FMTV A1P2, which Oshkosh has been building since 2009.
The Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) on Sept. 21 awarded Oshkosh a $467 million modification to the contract it holds to build an eighth, ninth and 10th order-year of FMTV A1P2 that will keep the production line running through Aug. 25, 2019.
“FMTV continues to be an exemplary program for Oshkosh Defense, in support of the U.S. Army. The FMTV program embodies the hard work and commitment of many team members – including the U.S. Army and our dedicated Oshkosh employees – who apply their professionalism and expertise, and work in a collaborative manner, to deliver the very best medium tactical vehicle for our soldiers,” said Pat Williams, vice president and general manager of Army and Marine Corps programs at Oshkosh Defense. “Our Oshkosh Defense team continues to work in tandem with our Army customer to achieve schedule and cost control goals while delivering vehicles with high quality and performance.”
Despite its extensive work to date, Oshkosh’s continued hold on the program is not guaranteed.
The Army, almost by surprise and without a publicly stated motive, in 2016 issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an upgraded version of the truck – called the A2 – and opened the technical specifications of exiting trucks to competing companies.
May 8 was the deadline for truck manufacturers to respond to the RFP. Contract award is projected for second quarter of fiscal year 2018, according to Col. Dan Furber, the Army’s transportation system project manager.
Oshkosh submitted a proposal in response to the FMTV A2 solicitation, which calls for bidders to validate and produce an upgraded FMTV A2 fleet of vehicles with improved payload, underbody protection, ride quality, mobility, engine power, electronics, diagnostics, and safety enhancements.
“Oshkosh’s proposed FMTV A2 vehicle offering addresses the U.S. Army’s need for increased payload and improved survivability, ride quality, and mobility for the FMTV vehicle platform,” the company said in a statement.
The FMTV A2 will be comprised of 16 models and three trailers. The Army anticipates a contract award announcement in the second quarter of fiscal year 2018.
The Army plans to award one seven-year firm fixed price and cost-plus fixed fee contract that involves five base order years with two one-year options. In order to maintain the testing schedule, the first FMTV A2 test vehicle must deliver to the Army 450 days after contract award, according to the RFP.
The Army then will order 285 light MTVs in three variants, 2,116 MTV trucks in 13 variants and 23 trailers in three variants. There are 17 existing variants within the FMTV fleet, all built on a common chassis.