The U.S. Army has awarded Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation company, a five year requirements contract to recapitalize its Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV). Oshkosh will bring the Army’s fleet of Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and Palletized Load Systems (PLS) to the latest model configuration and the same zero-mile, zero-hour condition as new production vehicles.

Overall, the contract’s potential value is $780 million for the recapitalization of an estimated 1,800 FHTVs, in addition to the production of approximately 1,000 trailers. All work performed under the contract will be completed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with deliveries occurring from 2015 to 2019.

“As the OEM, we will recapitalize the U.S. Army’s heavy vehicles to like-new condition in order to achieve the required levels of operational readiness,” said John Bryant, Senior Vice President of Defense Programs at Oshkosh Defense.

“Because the heavy fleet is the logistics backbone for a spectrum of operations, Oshkosh has worked with the Army to restore more than 12,000 heavy vehicles since 1995 – providing soldiers with the latest safety features and improved reliability for in-theater operations,” he added.

Through recapitalization, heavily used vehicles are returned to Oshkosh, stripped to the frame rails and completely rebuilt to like-new condition. Recapitalized vehicles are assembled on the same production line as new vehicles, and put through the same extensive performance tests and inspection procedures as new vehicles. The vehicles also receive the latest technology and safety upgrades and are delivered with a new bumper-to-bumper warranty.

With a 13-ton payload and multiple variants for a wide range of operations, the HEMTT is the backbone of the Army’s logistics fleet. Oshkosh’s latest configuration, the HEMTT A4, brings significant improvements in power, maintenance and safety to the battlefield, traversing even the most challenging environments easier and more efficiently.

The Oshkosh PLS supports the Army’s distribution and resupply system by providing unparalleled performance for loading, unloading and delivering ammunition and other critical supplies needed in battle. The PLS carries a wide range of cargo, and is specially designed to load and unload a variety of flatrack or ISO compatible containers on its own. The latest configurations of FHTV trucks also include air-conditioned and armor-ready cabs, electrical upgrades, and anti-lock braking to keep soldiers safe.