With a new, nearly half-billion-dollar contract, Oshkosh Defense [OSK] remains the incumbent manufacturer of the Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV).
The Army on Feb. 7 awarded Oshkosh Defense the $476 million, seven-year deal to build the FMTV A2 variant. Oshkosh has held the FMTV contract since 2009 but was pitted last year against Humvee manufacturer AM General in a competition to build a better truck.
FMTV is the Army’s primary workhorse behind the lines, hauling supplies and providing combat support to deployed troops. There are 15 variants that share a common chassis and components and serve as the prime mover for several weapon, sensor, and communication platforms.
“During recent conflicts, we added more protection to our medium trucks, which added weight, along with high-tech systems that require more power,” said Alvin Bing, the Army’s product director for medium tactical vehicles, in a prepared statement. “That gave the crew the protection they needed and kept them connected to modern battlefield technology, but it also took away from how the vehicles were originally intended to perform. So we launched the A2 effort to restore the performance we had traded, while preparing the fleet to grow with tomorrow’s Army.”
The current FMTV platform has reached the threshold of its size, weight, and power design envelope, according to Pat Williams, vice president and general manager of Army and Marine Corps programs for Oshkosh Defense. With the A2 variant, Oshkosh increased the horsepower of the existing Caterpillar C7 engine, replaced the existing rigid axles with the company’s TAK-4 independent suspension, optimized the underbody armor protection, and integrated safety enhancements such as electronic stability control (ESC) and electrical upgrades, Williams told Defense Daily in an email.
“The most noticeable change to the vehicle is that the front axle is moved from beneath the cab on the A1P2, to be located out in front of the cab on the A2 to improve the overall vehicle performance,” he said. “These changes result in a more powerful and capable FMTV with increased payload capability and improved survivability, mobility, and ride quality performance.”
The Army already owned the FMTV’s blueprints or “technical data package” and used it to re-compete the FMTV fleet in 2008 when Oshkosh took over the program. The Army abruptly recompeted the contract again last year, opening the door for other truck manufacturers to offer new designs. Williams said the new requirements pushed Oshkosh to improve its design.
“The requirements put forth by the Army customer for the A2 platform were challenging, but because of our long-standing history with the FMTV and other proven platforms performing in the US Army’s fleet, we were uniquely positioned to provide the best A2 solution, meeting or exceeding all government requirements,” Williams said. “We understand what it takes to protect crews, achieve higher speeds, haul the heaviest loads and overcome the harshest terrain. Our engineers leverage decades of ground operations experience and unmatched TWV knowledge to design and deliver superior solutions, the FMTV A2 is no exception.”
Owning the program’s technical data gave the Army an advantage in shaping how to move forward with the A2 program and build on the existing fleet’s strong legacy, according to the Army’s Combat Support and Combat Services Support program office (PEO CS&CSS).
“We listened to a lot of Soldier feedback, and we spent a lot of time talking with industry about what was most important and how we could maximize value for Soldiers and taxpayers,” said Col. Dan Furber, the Army’s project manager for transportation systems. “We held multiple industry days, evaluated demonstrator vehicles, and made sure everyone had plenty of time to understand today’s truck and what we wanted to change. As a result, we’re going to give Soldiers a great truck with a stronger chassis, better protection, more power, and new safety features that provide them much better ride quality, while making them safer and more effective.”
For the FMTV A2, the Army asked vendors to propose a series of changes to the truck’s design along with a plan to take the updated design and begin producing new trucks. The requirements for the A2 variant were a higher-capacity chassis to carry enhanced protection, a higher output alternator to simplify the electrical system and feed the growing demand for power, support enhanced vehicle diagnostics, increase engine power and performance, and introduce safety features like electronic stability control.
FMTVs first entered production in 1991 to replace the World War II-era 2.5-ton “deuce and a half” and 5-ton trucks. Since then, multiple vendors have produced, upgraded, and improved more than 75,000 of these vehicles. Over this period, the Army has also pursued several improvements to its Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, most recently with the competitively awarded “A1P2” version in 2008.
The Army and Oshkosh Defense will now finalize the FMTV A2 designs, conduct required testing, and then launch into production. New vehicles should begin rolling off the production line in 2020.