BAE, teammates deliver vehicles to military

WEST POINT — BAE Systems, through its U.S. Combat Systems line of business, teammates Navistar Defense and ArvinMeritor, have provided on-time delivery of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) prototype vehicles to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The prototypes will undergo a 12-month rigorous government test and evaluation period as part of the JLTV Technology Development (TD) phase.

The BAE Systems–Navistar–ArvinMeritor team handed over seven JLTV prototype vehicles and four companion trailers to the U.S. Army in a ceremony last week at the Navistar Defense productions facility in West Point. The mix of vehicles included two JLTV Category A General Purpose vehicles, four JLTV Category B Infantry Carriers, one Category C Utility Carrier.

In Jan. 2009, Australia entered into a Land Force Capability Modernization (LFCM) Project Arrangement (PA) for the TD phase of the JLTV program, enabling tactical vehicle interoperability and integration between U.S. future forces and Australian land forces. In support of the Australian Department of Defence, the team is now focused on completing the build of three additional variants and a companion trailer that will be delivered in June. These vehicles are designed to be highly compatible with the U.S. variants, ensuring interoperability between forces, yet tailored specifically to meet the needs of the Australian troops.

“Our rich history and extensive experience with combat vehicles has allowed us to develop a JLTV family of vehicles design that represents a balance between performance, protection and payload,” said Ann Hoholick, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles and Amphibious Systems for BAE Systems. “We have invested heavily in the development of the technology and capabilities that a platform like JLTV could provide to the modern day war fighter.”