Joint light tactical vehicle pushes truck technology forward.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

* The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is one of the most hotly competed contracts currently up for grabs in the U.S. defense market.

The Army and Marine Corps plan to collectively purchase about 55,000 trucks over the span of more than two decades. The three competitors --Lockheed Martin, AM General and Oshkosh Defense--are awaiting a single vendor downselect that is slated for an announcement as early as July.

As the competition edges nearer to a close, all competitors told National Defense that their JLTV offering will push technological boundaries and give soldiers and Marines of the future increased protection and mobility.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno echoed those comments in May and said the JLTV represents a critical need for the service that will be a central piece of its vehicle inventory for years to come.

"When we look at vehicles, we look at a family of vehicles and what do we need, and this is one we absolutely need," he said during a breakfast meeting with reporters. "I feel really good about what we've done with the JLTV. I think the way we developed the requirements and the way it's moving forward... is a really important step for us."

The vehicle--which will replace aging Humvees--will provide soldiers with increased protection and mobility, Odierno said. Further, it will have enough interior space for the myriad of electronic devices the service will need as it faces new threats.

Despite budgetary pressures and the looming threat of a second round of sequestration, the Army is on track to fund 49,000 vehicles, he said. "We have not walked away from that."

A spokesman for the U.S. Army's program executive office for combat support and combat service support said a single vendor selection will be made sometime between July and September. Competitors submitted their final request for proposals in February, after some delays.

The Marine Corps and Army will finish fielding the vehicles between fiscal years 2022 and 2040.

AM General--the manufacturer of the ubiquitous Humvee--will offer its blast resistant vehicle-off road for the competition. One of its most useful features is its integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance suite, said Christopher Vanslager, vice president of business development and program management at the company.

Instead of having vehicle operators look at multiple screens--as is often the case now--the BRV-O offers them one consolidated...