JLTV: Hummer v2.0, or MRAP Lite?
Jan 30, 2012 18:11 EST
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DOTE testing reveals vehicle & requirements flaws; Budget commitment to JLTVs; JLTV EMD RFP. (Jan 30/12)
In an age of non-linear warfare, where front lines are nebulous at best and non-existent at worst, one of the biggest casualties is… the concept of unprotected rear echelon vehicles, designed with the idea that they’d never see serious combat. That imperative is being driven home on 2 fronts. One front is operational. The other front is buying trends.
These trends, and their design imperatives, found their way into the USA’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which aims to replace many of the US military’s 120,000 or so Humvees. The US military’s goal is a 7-10 ton vehicle that’s lighter than its MRAPs and easier to transport aboard ship, while offering substantially better protection ad durability than existing up-armored Humvees. They’d also like a vehicle that can address front-line issues like power generation, in order to recharge all of the batteries troops require for electronic gadgets like night sights, GPS devices, etc.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. JLTV certainly qualifies, though its future remains cloudy. That’s partly due to expected spending cutbacks, and partly due to the possible presence of “good enough” substitutes…
- JLTV: Program & Risks
- The JLTV Family of Vehicles
- JLTV: Goals and Constraints
- JLTV: To Be, or Not to Be?
- JLTV: Participants and Platforms [updated]
- JLTV: Contracts and Key Events [updated]
- Additional Readings
- Appendix A: Phase 1 Technology Development’s Losing Teams
Subscribe to DII and start reading the full story of the multi-billion dollar JLTV program. This Hummer replacement effort could become the globe's largest single land vehicle buy - or it could crash amidst budgetary pressures and "good enough" alternatives. Read:
- Rich media resources including photos of the contenders
- Description and analysis of the program's technical, budgetary, and time-based constraints, and their potential impact on its future
- Descriptions of the key contenders - and of those entries that did not make the initial cut, but might still be back in Phase 2
- Chronology of the program from its inception, and associated contracts and milestones
- Helpful research links to additional DID and external source materials
DII readers have easy access to more facts and the extensive Defense Industry Daily archive. Subscribe now for access to this in-depth collection of news, events and resources.
