Two vehicle platforms that serve both Army and Marine Corps transport and ground tactical needs are seeing an array of weapons and configurations applied for a variety of missions.
Oshkosh Defense unveiled its Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles A2 variant at this year’s Association of the U.S. Army Meeting and Exposition. The either four- or six-wheeled truck has an improved payload, underbody protection, ride quality, mobility, engine power and enhanced electronics, diagnostics and safety features, according to a company release.
There are 16 models available on the two basic platforms. They do combat mission support, logistics and supply operations.
RELATED
Pat Williams, company vice president and general manger of defense programs, told Army Times that 43 of the trucks will be delivered for testing next year.
Another item under development on a different vehicle is the company’s effort to take the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, remove the driver cab and replace it with a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System to meet Marine Corps firepower needs.
The setup would allow for remote operation and a firing platform for expeditionary operations core to the Marine Corps mission.
Also at the show are three JLTVs with three different weapons system configurations on display.
Those include the Kongsberg Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, and .50 caliber machine gun. The Kongsberg PROTECTOR II Remote Weapon System is shown with an XM914 lightweight 30mm cannon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. And a third variant is displayed with the IMI Systems Iron Fist Active Protection System.
The Army has seen CROWS systems, both machine gun and more recently Javelin variants, tested in Europe. But the JLTV configuration is a new option to consider.
Williams said building both vehicles to have modular options is key for the company, along with the ability to support a host of weapons systems or transport configuration.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
