La empresa OSHKOSH, adjudicatar\u00eda principal del Proyecto JOINT TACTICAL LIGHT VEHICLE (JTLV) ha iniciado la fase de producci\u00f3n del veh\u00edculo que progresivamente ir\u00e1 reemplazando al HUMVEE en el US ARMY y US Marines. Un proyecto que se inici\u00f3 hace varios a\u00f1os, como reemplazo del reconocido HUMVEE, que ha transportado sus tropas en todos los escenarios de combate del mundo \u00a0y constituy\u00f3 un verdadero icono a partir de la guerra del Golfo en 1991. Sin embargo, el mismo ha evidenciado ser\u00a0 muy vulnerable a los explosivos improvisados (IED) colocados en rutas y caminos,\u00a0causando la mayor parte de las bajas durante los conflictos de Iraq y Afganist\u00e1n. El requerimiento principal para el JLTV fue \u00a0mejorar la \u201cc\u00e9lula de supervivencia\u201d del mismo, mediante una\u00a0 mayor protecci\u00f3n blindada, que le permita resistir la acci\u00f3n de minas y IEDs,\u00a0 en su carrocer\u00eda y parte inferior. Adem\u00e1s, el concepto del JLTV, es el de una verdadera plataforma modular multiprop\u00f3sito, con decenas de configuraciones posibles, que le agregan capacidades de letalidad y operaci\u00f3n en un entorno de C4ISR. Otro aspecto a destacar, es que el British Army, tiene previsto tambi\u00e9n adoptar el JLTV, pero bajo la denominaci\u00f3n de Multi Role Vehicle Protected (MRV-P).<\/p>\n
Oshkosh Defense will start rolling the first Joint Light Tactical Vehicles off its production line and deliver them to the Army by the end of the month at the dawn of what could amount to a $30 billion contract over the life of the program, the company\u2019s JLTV program director said.<\/p>\n
And as Oshkosh prepares to deliver the first production vehicles to the Army, the next-generation replacement for US Army and Marine Corps armored HMMWVs has been making cameos this month at major military shows in the US and overseas where the company is touting the many different configurations and flexibility it has to meet a wide variety of missions, according to several company statements.<\/p>\n
Oshkosh appeared at the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) conference just over a week ago in Baltimore, Maryland, where the JLTV on display was outfitted with an EOS R-400S-MK2 remote weapon system integrated with Orbital ATK\u2019s M230 LF 30 mm lightweight automatic chain gun \u201cto demonstrate the vehicle\u2019s ability to support increased lethality including a medium caliber weapon system,\u201d according to a company statement.<\/p>\n
JLTV was also on display at the Dynamic Vehicle Demonstration in early September in Bedfordshire, England, at Millbrook Proving Grounds.<\/p>\n
The UK chose JLTV through a foreign military sale to be the British Army\u2019s Multi Role Vehicle Protected (MRV-P) Group 1 vehicle. The MRV-P will come in three different types. The UK military would integrate its own radios, battle management system and counter-improvised explosive devices capability. The UK is still running a competition for other types of the MRV-P.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key thing across the board \u2013 this light tactical vehicle that has been purpose-built to be flexible, modular etc. \u2013 when it comes to equipment, electronics or weapon systems, we are agnostic,\u201d Dave Dierson, Oshkosh\u2019s JLTV program director told Defense News in a Sept. 12 interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe literally can do hundreds of different configurations with radios, [command, control, communications and computers] C4, equipment, armor, etc.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
JLTV can manage many different capabilities integrated, for one, due to its \u201cvery efficient\u201d power train as well as a \u201cpowerful\u201d engine,\u201d Dierson said, which leaves a lot of room for future upgrades as well.<\/p>\n
The Army plans to test specific additional systems or \u201ckits\u201d on JLTV that \u201cspan a wide range of government and contractor furnished equipment from fording systems and winches to a range of network technologies and C4ISR systems,\u201d Michael Clow, a spokesman for the Army\u2019s program executive office of combat support and combat service support, told Defense News in a Sept. 15 statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe principal objective during this period is to ensure effective integration not just with the vehicles and kits themselves, but between fully equipped JLTVs and other elements of the Army’s formations,\u201d Clow said. \u201cThe most important outcome of this testing is to ensure that soldiers can effectively interact with the JLTV and all of its integrated contractor and government furnished systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Army is also looking to use JLTV as an interim solution for its Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV). The idea had been floated as a possibility since late last year, but the Army firmed up the plan to use JLTV in May, announcing it at the National Defense Industrial Association\u2019s Tactical-Wheeled Vehicle conference in Reston, Virginia.<\/p>\n
At the Association of the US Army\u2019s Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, in March, Scott Davis, the Army\u2019s program executive officer for CS&CSS, told reporters JLTV serving as the LRV was doable but noted, \u201cWe\u2019d have to add the sensor and perhaps a larger weapon\u201d and a sixth seat. JLTV will only carry five.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is too early in the LRV developmental timeline to establish specific LRV milestones and objectives, and we would have to defer to the requirements community on LRV requirements,\u201d Clow said when asked about JLTV as LRV. The program office would then figure out a way to carry out those requirements, he added.<\/p>\n
For now, the first production vehicles are intended to help reduce future production risk and serve as the first assets for JLTV\u2019s performance and operational testing programs, according to Clow.<\/p>\n
During the low-rate initial production phase, the Army anticipates procuring approximately 4,900 vehicles and the majority will be for the Army.<\/p>\n
According to Oshkosh\u2019s Dierson, the JLTV program will reach a full-rate production decision milestone in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 following a rigorous testing program.<\/p>\n