Non-Subscriber Extract
Two competitors reveal prototypes for US JLTV programme
By Nathan Hodge
03 March 2008
Two contenders for the US Army/US Marine Corps (USMC) Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) requirement unveiled new vehicle prototypes on 27 February at the Association of the United States Army conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The US military is expected at the end of June 2008 to award contracts to several manufacturers for the design and build of JLTV prototypes. Proposals are due in mid-April; bidders are to submit three vehicles, trailers and an integrated command-and-control suite, plus a hull for ballistics testing.
Lockheed Martin, which has teamed with BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems (formerly Armor Holdings), Alcoa Defense and JWF Industries, unveiled its Utility Vehicle Light (UVL) Payload Category C prototype. With the JLTV programme supposed to yield a family of up to six different vehicle variants with common cabs, chassis and drive trains, Lockheed Martin officials, said their vehicle designs would have 90 per cent commonality.
BAE Systems also unveiled a JLTV prototype on 27 February. The company's 16,000 lb (7,260 kg) vehicle incorporates design elements from the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle programme, which is a key measure of crew protection for the next-generation JLTV. BAE Systems has paired with Navistar.