Posted on 08/19/2019 10:23:42 AM PDT by BeauBo
The U.S. Marine Corps announced that the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is officially ready to deploy, one year ahead of schedule.
Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration said on Monday that the JLTV program had reached "initial operational capability," making the vehicles ready for use worldwide, on Aug. 2.
The four-wheeled vehicle, developed with the U.S. Army, will fully replace the Marines' aging fleet of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. The new transports offer different variants with multiple mission package configurations, including packages for personnel, heavy guns and close combat weapons.
"The warfighting capabilities the JLTV provides our Marines far exceed the capabilities offered by its predecessor," said John Garner of the Marines' Program Executive Office Land Systems division. "I'm proud of what our team, in collaboration with the Army, has accomplished. Their commitment to supporting the warfighter delivered an exceptional vehicle, ahead of schedule, that Marines will use to dominate on the battlefield now and well into the future."
In February, it was announced that technical issues regarding poor visibility, blind spots and maintenance needed to be resolved in the JLTV before IOC status could be given. The Marines intend to have between 250 and 300 JLTVs in use by late September, of over 9,000 it expects to acquire. The U.S. Army plans to purchase over 49,000 of the vehicles.
The U.S. Army awarded Oshkosh Defense $12 million for a revision on the vehicles in November 2018, and later in the month the company received a $1.7 billion Army contract for 6,107 JLTVs and 22,166 kits of associated equipment.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
Can they survive an IED?
Another “boneyard” is about to be built and filled-up.
depends on how big the IED is.
That was the primary requirement that initiated the replacement of the HMWWV.
The obvious higher ground clearance is a key characteristic to dissipate blast
In terms of UBB (Under Body Blast) protection, air is a cheap and potent help. As illustrated below, the distance between the source of an explosion and the truck is critical, as pressure decreases rapidly as a function of distance. So every inch that can be afforded to increase the distance of a truck’s underbody from a buried explosive yields a major protection benefit.
Reflected Pressure vs. Distance From Burst Point for 20 lbs of TNT.
The JLTV features large tires and a suspension that gives its hull a high ground clearance, comparable to the approximately 2- to 3-ft ground clearance for MRAPs. By contrast, the HMMWV has a clearance of only about 14 inches from the ground to the bottom of its hull.
I wonder what Track time it will end up with on The Nürburg-Ring.
Oh wait ,the most important thing is are they environmentally friendly , LOL
I realize that vehicle design must keep up with need to protect troops in the ever changing battle field.
But for crying out loud, I’m wondering to what extent the military-industrial complex adds to this “need” just to keep tax dollars flowing in their direction?
This new vehicle will not be the end, there will be more.
Only the military could officially label a 20,000 llb vehicle LIGHT!
Can a Humvee?
How did those clinkers ever get past testing phases?
A Hummer certainly couldn't if that is your standard of reference. An MRAP might if the IED is small enough. An M-1 might not if the IED is big enough.
Were the contractors, designers and builders screen for diversity purposes? Were there the appropriate amount of inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people? Was the management of this project sensitive to affirmative action in their ranks?
The HMWWV has had a 35 year run. It’s not going away any time soon. The many variants will be around for the foreseeable future. The JTLV will go where survivability is most vital.
Scalable for different uses. https://oshkoshdefense.com/vehicles/jltv/
The base vehicle (general purpose model) is only about 10,000 pounds, with significant blast protection - about a ton less than an up armored HMMWV, and in the ballpark with the Ford F-250 pickup truck.
Even in ‘93 I had one of those M1009 Chevy Blazers for a couple months.
“The HMWWV has had a 35 year run. It’s not going away any time soon.”
As front line units get the new stuff, their HMMWV’s will get transferred to Reserve and Guard units, into the Depot system, or go to Foreign Military Sales. We will probably see them somewhere for a good twenty or more years.
“How did those clinkers ever get past testing phases?”
You can’t get a ball bearing through the whole Military testing process without some criticism.
The windows are smaller to better protect from blast effects. It is a trade off.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.