Tactical Vehicles: Industry Teams Driving to Win Army's Heavy Truck Program.

• Author: Luckenbaugh, Josh

The Army is looking to modernize its fleet of heavy tactical wheeled vehicles for multi-domain operations, and the service is hoping to haul in the best of commercial truck technology.

The Army's current fleet--which includes the M915 Line Haul Tractor, M1088 Medium Tractor, Palletized Load System and Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck--is "no longer aligned with current technology," said Alvin Bing, the Army's product lead for the Common Tactical Truck, or CTT, program.

The primary function of these heavy tactical wheeled vehicles is to transport bulk cargo to forward operators. As the Army centers its focus for the future on multi-domain operations, the service is looking to make its fleet more flexible, Bing said in an email.

"Commonality in the CTT family of vehicles will enable modular designs and interchangeable repair parts across the fleet, resulting in streamlined supply chains and reduced total lifecycle costs," he said.

The new family of trucks will "leverage best commercial practices," Bing added. Among the commercial technologies the service wants on these platforms are advanced driver assist systems, autonomy-ready capabilities, fuel efficiency, exportable power and prognostics and predictive maintenance, he said.

The goal is for the Army "to modernize at the pace of industry, integrating new technologies as they are developed," he said.

The service released a request for prototype proposals for the new trucks in June 2022, with awards scheduled for late January 2023, Bing said. The Army plans to give contracts to at least three vendors to produce three prototypes each: an on-road tractor, an off-road tractor and a load handling system, he said.

Each vendor will also supply digital designs of all variants, plus a design study for a wrecker, Bing added.

So far, three industry teams have confirmed they are competing for CTT, including a bid led by Mack Defense, a collaboration between GM Defense and American Rheinmetall and a separate partnership between AM General and Italy-based IDV.

Mack Defense currently produces the M917A3 heavy dump truck for the Army as part of a seven-year contract the service awarded in 2018. The company is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, according to Mack Defense President David Hartzell.

The commercial resources at its disposal give Mack Defense a potential advantage in the competition, Hartzell said during a media briefing at the Association...