In other words, Oshkosh’s design was much less likely to break down than any other offering. Not only has the company built each of the vehicles at a cost about 17% less than what the Army was expecting, but when rival designs were tested during the competition to win the initial contract, the Oshkosh entry turned out to be six times more reliable than the next-closest candidate. That is precisely what Oshkosh has delivered, in a package that is about as close to perfect as any Army acquisition program is ever likely to be. It was intended to be the first light military truck capable of maneuvering with combat forces and surviving the rigors of modern warfare. Eventually the service turned to much bigger “mine-resistant, ambush-protected” trucks that made Brinks trucks look flimsy, but these proved hard to support or adapt to changing conditions.Įnter JLTV, a vehicle conceived to meet the challenge of improvised explosives while still affording speed and flexibility on the battlefield. The Army tried adding armor and other defensive features, but the Humvee couldn’t easily accommodate the added weight and on occasion turned into a deathtrap. Humvee was never intended to operate on a battlefield, so when irregular forces in Afghanistan and Iraq obliterated the distinction between front lines and rear areas with improvised explosive devices, the Humvee was dangerously under-protected. JLTV was designed to correct deficiencies in the Reagan-era Humvee, the closest thing today’s Army has to the fabled jeep of World War Two. The Army alone expects to buy at least 50,000, with the Marines buying 15,000 more.
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