Army hopes to deliver as many as 26,000 FMTVs

By Mr. Kris OsbornSeptember 19, 2011

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WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 14, 2011) -- The Army is producing large numbers of "Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles," or FMTVs, in an effort to deliver as many as 26,000 new trucks to the fleet over the next several years, service officials said.

The FMTV contract, awarded to Oshkosh Defense in 2009, calls for trucks to be built and delivered according to specifications outlined in a technical data package, or TDP, purchased by the Army, said Col. Dave Bassett, program manager, tactical vehicles.

The new trucks are being built with specifications that include modular, replaceable armor and a built-in ring mount to place a weapon and gunners' protective kit on the roof of the cab, Bassett said.

The modular armor approach means that the truck's cab is built with a small amount of built-on integrated armor designed with the ability to accept bolt-on armor plates to improve protection as missions dictate.

Acquiring the TDP, competing the contract and subsequently awarding a deal to Oshkosh is resulting in substantial savings for the Army, Bassett said.

"The bottom line is, by maintaining a TDP and having a competition, we've now demonstrated in tests that the trucks they are delivering out of Oshkosh have exceeded the quality and performance of what we have been able to deliver in the past," Bassett said. "In doing so, we believe we will save in excess of $1 billion."

FMTV-maker Oshkosh Defense, says deliveries are on schedule.

"We have a contractual delivery schedule and we are meeting that schedule," said Michael Ivy, vice president and general manager of Army programs, Oshkosh Defense. "We had quality goals set out for our program in conjunction with our Army customers. We are meeting or exceeding every quality goal that has been put in front of us. We are doing things to improve the manufacturability and the processes behind the products. We are delivering very high quality FMTVs."

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Army hopes to deliver as many as 26,000 FMTVs