Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, marked the delivery of its first Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) prototype for government testing following a successful vehicle inspection by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) at an event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The DCMA inspection and vehicle presentation ceremony was attended by representatives from the JLTV Joint Program Office, DCMA and Oshkosh Defense.

The Oshkosh JLTV solution was developed to deliver unprecedented levels of mobility, survivability, transportability and life-cycle value for the JLTV program, which will replace a portion of the U.S. military’s aged High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) fleet. Oshkosh Defense is delivering a total of 22 JLTV prototypes this month for the government-testing portion of the EMD phase.

“The JLTV will fill a vital capabilities gap in the military’s light vehicle fleet and protect our men and women in uniform for decades to come. The Oshkosh JLTV solution we are now submitting for government testing transforms the concept of what a light vehicle can be – merging key design aspects of high-performance tactical vehicles and highly survivable combat vehicles. The result is a new level of protected mobility in a light platform,” said John Urias, Oshkosh Corporation Executive Vice President and President of Oshkosh Defense.

Oshkosh Defense produced its JLTV prototypes on an active manufacturing line, alongside its current-production tactical wheeled vehicles (TWV). Prototypes being delivered include a four-door multi-purpose variant and two-door utility variant. Oshkosh Defense will provide training and support for the vehicles as they are accepted and evaluated by the U.S. Government.

Off-road mobility is crucial for the JLTV. When missions or threats require troops to drive off-road or find alternate routes, they need a JLTV that can reliably transport them through almost any environment. The Oshkosh JLTV solution, the Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV), builds on Oshkosh’s portfolio of high-performance, off-road TWVs that have been proven in combat, such as the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). Oshkosh Defense has tested the L-ATV on 85 percent of the world’s representative terrain to ensure the vehicle can support missions on any topography and every continent.

Using the Oshkosh TAK-4i™ intelligent independent suspension system, the L-ATV delivers a 25 percent improvement in independent wheel travel over the most mobile vehicles currently fielded. This TAK-4i system also enables the L-ATV to provide greater control and maneuverability on unimproved terrain, increasing safety and survivability. A digitally controlled Duramax engine provides an optimal power-to-weight ratio and torque, allowing the L-ATV to overcome challenges from steep inclines to deep desert sands.

The Oshkosh JLTV was designed to keep pace with evolving battlefield threats. Oshkosh Defense leveraged deep experience from the last decade of producing MRAP vehicles and other armored platforms when designing the L-ATV. The Company conducted extensive threat-event analysis and used state-of-the-art components to develop a fully integrated, multi-faceted crew protection system for the L-ATV. This protection system is scalable and can accept multiple armor configurations, providing protection levels equivalent to those of MRAP vehicles that are currently saving lives in Afghanistan. In addition to crew protection, Oshkosh’s L-ATV is designed for mission package flexibility and future growth to meet new operational requirements.

Oshkosh Defense is using its extensive Integrated Product Support expertise to minimize costs across the JLTV’s life-cycle. At the design and production stages, lean processes and flexible manufacturing lines focus on keeping costs low. Oshkosh Defense also performed a myriad of logistics engineering to optimize the sustainment costs and readiness of its JLTV offering for decades of operation.