BAE Systems, teammates Navistar Defense LLC [NAV] and ArvinMeritor, yesterday announced an on-time delivery of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) prototype vehicles to the.Army and Marine Corps.
The prototypes will undergo a 12-month rigorous government test and evaluation period as part of the JLTV Technology Development (TD) phase.
The BAE, Navistar, ArvinMeritor team handed over seven JLTV prototype vehicles and four companion trailers to the Army in a ceremony last week at the Navistar Defense productions facility in West Point, Miss.
The mix of vehicles included two JLTV Category A General Purpose vehicles, four JLTV Category B Infantry Carriers, and one Category C Utility Carrier.
General Tactical Vehicles (GTV) a joint venture of General Dynamics [GD] and AM General, and Lockheed Martin [LMT] separately have delivered their vehicles. All deliveries were due depending on the specific contracts.
In January 2009, Australia entered into a Land Force Capability Modernization (LFCM) Project Arrangement (PA) for the TD phase of the JLTV program, enabling tactical vehicle interoperability and integration between U.S. future forces and Australian land forces.
In support of the Australian Department of Defence, the team is now focused on completing the build of three additional variants and a companion trailer that will be delivered in June.
These vehicles are designed to be highly compatible with the U.S. variants, ensuring interoperability between forces, yet tailored specifically to meet the needs of the Australian troops.
“Our rich history and extensive experience with combat vehicles has allowed us to develop a JLTV family of vehicles design that represents a balance between performance, protection and payload,” said Ann Hoholick, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles and Amphibious Systems for BAE. “We have invested heavily in the development of the technology and capabilities that a platform like JLTV could provide to the modern day war fighter.”
The JLTV design incorporates lessons learned from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program and features the latest in lightweight, advanced armor and a V-shaped hull design to provide maximum crew protection.
“The BAE Systems, Navistar, ArvinMeritor team brings a balance of military, production and automotive experience to the program,” said Archie Massicotte, president of Navistar Defense. “We work hard to provide vehicles that are safe to operate and survivable against current threats. We also understand that our design needs to be flexible so it can evolve ahead of future threat levels.”
The team builds off the three companies’ current leadership in armored and tactical vehicle development and support. Combined, the BAE-Navistar-ArvinMeritor team maximizes JLTV program value through proven capabilities, lean manufacturing and extensive worldwide logistics support.