RESTON, Va. and OSHKOSH, Wis., May 1, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) family of vehicles designed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) is easier to support and maintain, more available to operational forces, and uses less fuel than the current fleet.
With more than 93 percent of the high-level components common across the JLTV variants, the Northrop Grumman-Oshkosh vehicle reduces the logistics footprint and lifecycle costs.
The common parts and systems include power generation, engine, cooling, batteries, brakes, fluids and filters. During all levels of vehicle maintenance -- a major advantage of commonality -- vehicles can be serviced and returned to the field more quickly than current vehicles. Fewer spare parts need to be kept in inventory, and maintenance personnel can be trained more quickly with less need for refresher training.
"TeamNOW (Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh for the Warfighter) is building its competitive offering from new requirements based on current and future warfighter needs, not old specs," said Joe Gray Taylor, vice president of Ground Combat Systems at Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector. "We are able to ensure our design considered commonality at every decision point to positively influence supportability and greatly reduce risk. Risky or cumbersome field modifications are not required to meet performance parameters."
"TeamNOW's JLTV design is not only a technically superior product in areas such as integrated logistics but also one that is modular and easily upgraded to take advantage of technological innovation and serve the military for the next three decades," said John Stoddart, executive vice president, Oshkosh Corporation and president, Oshkosh Defense. "Our team covers the full spectrum: superior vehicle experience, superior C3 and platform integration experience, superior performance and superior armor protection."
The JLTV family of vehicles will replace the current fleet of light tactical trucks and will be capable of performing a full range of military missions. It is envisioned to be stronger and more survivable than other vehicles in its class and to be more mobile and maneuverable than the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, or MRAP, now being deployed in Iraq.
The U.S. Department of Defense is expected to award three contracts for the 27-month JLTV Technology Demonstration phase around the end of June.
Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation joined forces as TeamNOW to compete for the JLTV program on Jan. 8. If selected, Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector will be the prime contractor and systems integrator. Oshkosh Corporation's Defense Group will be responsible for designing, engineering and manufacturing the vehicle, including the armor system.
TeamNOW selected Plasan, a leading developer and manufacturer of armor systems for the military and commercial market, for the Technology Demonstration armor design, engineering and the armor solution.
Northrop Grumman integrates a broad spectrum of critical joint combat and C4ISR platforms, including serving as the prime contractor for the Army's Command Post Platform, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)/Blue Force Tracking (BFT) and Command and Control Personal Computer (C2PC) programs.
Oshkosh has nine decades of proven experience developing advanced automotive systems, on/off road capabilities, extreme-duty vehicle platforms, military vehicles and integrated armor solutions. Oshkosh has advanced on-board vehicle power capabilities on two prototype vehicles: the Marine Corps' Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) and the U.S. Army's Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT).
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.