Sizing Up the Finalists in Pentagon Truck Contest

Watching the military's new Humvee-replacement contest is kinda like following a season of Top Chef: They start with a bunch of hopefuls, then narrow the competition to three lucky finalists. Yesterday, three teams made it to the finale: BAE Systems and Navistar Defense; General Tactical Vehicles, a joint venture between General Dynamics and AM General; and Lockheed Martin. This contest is a really big deal: billions of dollars are at stake, and the new trucks are supposed to push the envelope of military vehicle design.

The new trucks, known as Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, are supposed to be tricked out with the latest in vehicle survivability and electronics. But when it comes to the propulsion system, Pentagon seems to have taken a more conservative approach. Rather than opting for a riskier, Prius-style hybrid, the Pentagon seems to be placing a premium on vehicles that could go into production relatively quickly.

All three companies have been pretty tight-lipped about their entries, providing few specifics about their proprietary designs. Earlier this year, I had the chance to see two of the prototypes that made the cut, the Lockheed Martin entry and the BAE/Navistar model (pictured).

Lockheed Martin, teamed with BAE Systems Mobility and Protection Systems (formerly Armor Holdings), Alcoa Defense and JWF Industries, opened the kimono on a couple of JLTV models: the Combat Tactical Vehicle Payload Category B and the Utility Vehicle Light Payload Category C. The JLTV is supposed to have up to six different variants, and Lockheed Martin officials stressed that their vehicle designs would have 90 per cent commonality.

BAE Systems and Navistar unveiled their star-spangled prototype on February 27th. Navistar is a big-time manufacturer of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, and the BAE/Navistar JLTV looks a lot like a mini-MRAP. The vehicle is supposed to incorporate a lot of the survivability features from the mine-resistant trucks now in the field.

AM General has one advantage here: it makes the Humvee, which the JLTV will eventually replace. Last year, James Armour, president and CEO of AM General, told me the company had been approached by several potential partners to bid for the JLTV contest.

All told, this round of the contest is worth approximately $166 million. The real prize, however, will be the production contract.
Wired

I don't know if it's safe, but it sure looks bad ass.