Defense Technology International - April 2008 - (Page 14) DISPATCHES GLOBAL LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS Developers showcase JLTV designs BETTINA H. CHAVANNE•WASHINGTON T he U.S. Marines are looking for a few good vehicles—Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, to be exact. The Marines are working with the U.S. Army and U.S. Special Operations Command to develop a replacement for the iconic but aging Humvee. The solution is the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), a family of lightweight, agile vehicles that will o er scalable armor protection, multiple-mission capability and networked mobility, among other benefits. JLTVs will also be readily air-trans- portable. The USMC in particular wants the vehicle transportable by the CV-22 Osprey—the tiltrotor vertical takeoff and landing aircraft manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Helicopters—as well as by the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion and Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules. A request for proposals (RFP) was released in early February with a due date of Apr. 14. The competition has attracted a number of potential suppliers, and is expected to set a standard in combat Lockheed Martin’s Category C JLTV can move troops, cargo or an S250 shelter. DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2008 mobility and protection for the U.S. and other militaries. Plans call for the JLTV to be operational by 2012. The JLTV program covers three categories: Category A is a general-purpose mobility vehicle designed to haul a 3,500-lb. payload; Category B has a 4,000-4,500-lb. payload capability; and Category C will have a payload capability of 5,100 lb. Ten sub-configurations (including a trailer for each category) are included as well. Category B is where most of the versions will be—seven in all. Contractors are being asked to develop designs for each of the sub-configurations (and trailers), although they will be required to build and test only four vehicles: a Category A general-purpose mobility vehicle; a Category B command-andcontrol on-the-move vehicle and an infantry carrier; and a Category C model that can serve as a utility vehicle, shelter carrier and prime mover. Candidate designs have been on display at various venues, most recently the Assn. of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) winter symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where individual companies and teams unveiled prototypes. Vehicles were also shown at the Modern Marine Day Expo late last year. In a ceremony on the AUSA show floor, a team from BAE and Navistar pulled the cover o a Category B payload variant. It weighed in at 16,000 lb. and had a patriotic paint design for attention. The vehicle features advanced armor and the ubiquitous V-shaped hull to deflect blasts. “We meet all the requirements [for JLTV] now,” claimed Matt Riddle, BAE’s vice president of wheeled vehicle programs. Riddle said BAE’s approach to the JLTV is modular, to meet the “iron triangle” requirements of payload, protection and performance. “Some say the MRAP [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle] has skewed the triangle one way. We took a more balanced approach on the JLTV.” Armor, technology and power train are modular, expandable components. Lockheed Martin unveiled its second operational JLTV at the show, a Category C Utility Vehicle Light (UVL), which AviationWeek.com/dti BETTINA H. CHAVANNE/DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 14 http://AviationWeek.com/dti
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