Oshkosh Corp.’s [OSK] division Oshkosh Defense and the Marine Corps recently proved the capabilities of Oshkosh’s Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) with on-board vehicle power (OBVP) during a recent demonstration at the Army’s Aberdeen Test Center.
Modern military equipment is driving a greater demand for electricity even as mobility requirements increase, and the MTVR equipped with elements of Oshkosh’s proprietary ProPulse technology offers a considerable advantage with its exportable power capabilities.
The modified MTVR is equipped with enough exportable electrical energy to produce 21 kW of power-on-the-move for mobile command post shelters, communications and weapons systems. Stationary, the vehicle produces 120 kW of military-grade power, enough to power a small airport or city block.
“The MTVR with OBVP is an Office of Naval Research sponsored program that responded to the Marine Corps’ need for increased mobility, power for on-board weapons, back-up power for mission critical equipment, increased cargo space, reduced logistics footprint, and power options for early entry forces,” Mike Mimnagh of ONR said.
Chris Kirby, director of Government Operations, Oshkosh, said: “The MTVR with OBVP provides expeditionary forces like the Marine Corps with significant power generation without the need for cumbersome towed systems. It provides significant operational benefits for amphibious units constrained by lift assets, or for units engaged in distributed operations, and during humanitarian assistance operations.”
Marine Corps Program Manager, Expeditionary Power Systems Mike Gallagher said: “The purpose of today’s demonstration was to meet with U.S. Army and Marine Corps to discuss the system’s test performance and validate requirements. After seeing the MTVR with OBVP in action, we’re confident this system could greatly enhance the Marine Corps’ capabilities in Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare.”
The MTVR with OBVP is a diesel-electric drive system that delivers up to 20 percent more power than current systems without reducing mobility. The scaleable technology and components can be integrated to new or remanufactured fleets of light, medium and heavy vehicles.
Oshkosh was awarded the contract in 2006 after responding to a broad agency announcement seeking vehicles with the ability to provide the 60kw of exportable power required by Marine Corps mission planners. The Oshkosh OBVP system is capable of exporting twice as much power as the requirements specified in the original request from the ONR.