Lockheed Martin, AM General deliver JLTV development vehicles

Lockheed Martin and AM General have each completed delivery of 22 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) ordered for the US Army and Marine Corps under the programme’s Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase.

The vehicles will now undergo government evaluation and testing, alongside vehicles being delivered by Oshkosh Defence for the programme. The Lockheed Martin, AM General and Oshkosh teams were awarded the EMD contracts, worth $65 million each, in August 2012.

According to Lockheed Martin, its proposed solution has been engineered from the ground up to balance the ‘iron triangle’ of protection, performance and payload. The company said that the vehicle ‘provides greatly improved crew protection and mobility, lower logistical support costs, superior fuel efficiency, exportable power-generation with substantial margin for future growth, and state-of-the-art connectivity with other platforms and systems. A Meritor Pro-Tec air suspension system contributes to outstanding off-road performance while minimising crew fatigue.’

Scott Greene, vice president, ground vehicles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said: ‘Our team has produced a highly capable, reliable and affordable JLTV for our customers. These vehicles will meet the toughest demands of our soldiers and marines. They deserve our best, and that's precisely what we delivered.’

AM General’s proposed solution is known as the Blast Resistant Vehicle - Off road (BRV-O) vehicle. According to the company, the BRV-O is designed on a common automotive platform that will be delivered as either a four-seat or a two-seat variant. It said these variants ‘can be configured into four separate mission packages with a variety of equipment kits that will:  connect warfighters with fully integrated command and control; protect them with kitted, scalable armouring; and enable them to successfully complete missions across the full spectrum of military operations.’ 

John Ulrich, executive vice president and COO, AM General, said: ‘Achieving this key programme milestone is a testament to AM General's more than 50-year history of designing and manufacturing vehicles for the US Army and Marine Corps.  Today's successful delivery reinforces the company's unmatched expertise in managing its supply chain to drive efficiencies in cost and enhanced reliability for our government customers. We have great confidence that BRV-O is the solution to our warfighters' future light tactical vehicle needs.’