-The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have made their final selection for the replacement to the aging Humvee. Meet the new Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV) built by Oshkosh Defense.
The decision caps off a three-year investigational phase in the military branches’ search for a new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), during which Oshkosh, Lockheed Martin, and AM General (maker of the long-serving Humvee) submitted 22 prototype vehicles that were each subjected to an intensive 14-month competitive test.
-The $6.75-billion contract awarded to Oshkosh covers production of 17,000 new vehicles. The Army anticipates receiving its first units in 2018, with a procurement period that runs until 2040. The first three years of JLTV production will be low, with an anticipated output of 17,000 vehicles. Of those vehicles, 5500 will be earmarked for the Marine Corps and delivered between 2018 and 2022.
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-Power comes from a GM Duramax 6.6-liter diesel V-8, and it can be fitted with a diesel-electric hybrid system. The L-ATV also features GPS navigation and HF, VHF, UHF, and satellite communications, and it can be fitted with a plethora of weapons systems, including turrets, various machine guns, and tube-launched missiles. The underbelly is touted as providing MRAP levels of protection from blasts, the vehicle features onboard AC and DC power, and Oshkosh’s TAK-4i independent suspension allows for 20 inches of wheel travel and the ability to raise or lower the vehicle for transport or other needs.
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JLTV design requirements called for a larger, more mechanically reliable, safer vehicle than the Humvee, which has been continually patched and modified to deal with the evolving challenges of global combat. The vehicles will come in two variations—four-passenger combat vehicles and two-seat combat support vehicles—with a maximum weight of 15,639 pounds to enable helicopter transportation, USNI reports.
-This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.
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