US-based Oshkosh Defense has announced the production of its 20,000th Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
The $6.7 billion JLTV program was launched in 2015 with the US Army to replace the service’s outdated Humvees.
Almost 17,000 JLTV units were ordered under the initial production, followed by the vehicle’s full-rate production in 2019.
“Just a little over two years ago, we were celebrating our 10,000th JLTV rolling off our production line,” Oshkosh Defense President Tim Bleck said.
“That means that despite a global pandemic, and some of the most severe supply chain challenges we’ve ever seen, we’ve continued to demonstrate that Oshkosh has what it takes to deliver the JLTV to the customer again and again.”
“The continued success of the JLTV program can clearly be credited to Oshkosh’s warm production line, optimized manufacturing processes, robust supply chain, and our world-class team.”
JLTV Production Transfer
Oshkosh is awaiting a decision on a formal protest filed in March challenging a recompete contract over US defense’s JLTV fleet production. An open bid was held seeking other defense firms offering the vehicles at a reduced cost.
AM General was awarded an $8.7 billion agreement in February 2023. The company later received a $4.7 billion contract to support additional capabilities for the production.
Approximately 20,000 JLTVs were ordered under the latest deal.
“From the start of production, the government procured the data rights to the JLTV Technical Data Package from the original equipment manufacturer… to conduct future production competitions and control the platform’s configuration and vehicle price well into the future,” US Army Program Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Samuel Peterson explained.
“These government-held data rights permitted the program to complete this follow-on production contract with much better control of the production configuration and cost.”
Recent Milestones
In February, Oshkosh released an upgraded JLTV version during an international defense expo in the UAE after it submitted a JLTV petition to the US Department of Defense.
The company received an order for 1,600 additional JLTVs and corresponding trailers for the US Army in December 2022, a few months before the recompete contract was awarded to the new partner.