The U.K.’s Jankel has announced a new teaming agreement with Oshkosh Defense
[OSK] to offer the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for the British Armed Forces.
“We remain committed to supporting our U.K. customers to meet their tactical wheeled vehicle requirements,” John Lazar, Oshkosh Defense’s vice president and general of manager for international programs, told Defense Daily, noting the agreement was signed on May 13.
Jankel, which describes itself as a “world-leader in the design, integration, manufacture, and support of high-specification defense systems,” said the partnership was formed to lead a U.K.-based team that can deliver Oshkosh Defense’s JLTV to meet the British Armed Forces’ protected mobility requirements.
“Oshkosh and Jankel are ideally suited to work together – bringing the global market presence, extensive portfolio of past performance, and cutting-edge technology of Oshkosh together with the flexibility, pedigree, and U.K. customer focus of Jankel. This agreement sees the initiation of a dynamic team of Britain’s leading experts in vehicle design, integration, support, and project delivery with significant experience in repeatedly solving U.K.-specific defense vehicle related challenges,” Jankel said in its announcement.
The U.K. recently canceled its Multi-Role Vehicle-Protected (MRV-P) program, under which the JLTV was a potential option to be procured via the U.S. foreign military sales process.
Jankel said the new partner with Oshkosh Defense presents an opportunity to offer a platform to meet the U.K’s new Land Industrial Strategy, while offering benefits from “leveraging local manufacture, design, integration, on-shore SME supply chain, and through life support capabilities.”
“This partnership allows us to deliver an enduring multi-year program with an agile U.K. team,” Andrew Jankel, the chairman of Jankel, said in a statement. “Looking ahead, this partnership supports our long-term strategy to develop a U.K.-based center of excellence that integrates the best of British technology and innovation into world-leading vehicle platforms.”
The U.S. Army is currently gearing up for the JLTV competitive follow-on production contract, releasing a Request for Proposals in February, with the deal worth potentially $7.3 billion over 10 years (Defense Daily, Feb. 9).
A contract award is slated for later this year and would include first vehicle delivery 18 months later in March 2024.