Oshkosh Loses Deal To Continue Building U.S. Army Trucks

Oshkosh Defense will no longer be the US military's lead supplier of the Joint Light Transport Vehicle, or JLTV, a troop transport vehicle that has brought billions in revenue to the company over nearly a decade, Karl Ebert reported for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Photo Insert: Oshkosh Defense has built more than 18,000 JLTVs at its manufacturing facilities in Oshkosh.

The US Army last week announced the award of a five-year, $8.7 billion contract to AM General, a South Bend, Indiana, military truck manufacturing company, to make more than 20,000 trucks and nearly 10,000 trailers. The contract includes a five-year renewal option.

Oshkosh Defense won the initial contract to build the JLTV, a replacement for the Humvee, in 2015, beating out several competitors including AM General, which makes the Humvee.

Since then Oshkosh Defense has built more than 18,000 JLTVs at its manufacturing facilities in Oshkosh. The company has more than 125 patents on the vehicles and related technologies and has been investing in new technology such as a hybrid electric version of the truck.

Oshkosh Defense employs about 5,000 people.

It remains under contract to build thousands of additional trucks. In December it received its latest contract, a $543 million order for 1,681 trucks and 618 trailers.

In a statement, the US Army said the award of the contract to build the updated JLTV A2 follows a strategy that was designed to "provide a fair and competitive environment, while ensuring the Army obtained a premier manufacturer that delivers the highest quality, most capable, and affordable tactical vehicle in the world."

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