US Army Orders Autonomous Oshkosh PLS A2 Trucks to Secure Frontline Convoys.

Oshkosh Defense said the Army’s Contracting Command–Detroit Arsenal placed an $89 million order for new Palletized Load System (PLS) A2 trucks, plus kits and installs, under the FHTV V contract. The buy supports contested logistics and multi-domain resupply; the umbrella contract runs through August 2029, shaping heavy-truck modernization and sustainment plans.

Oshkosh Defense confirmed in an Oct. 1, 2025, press release from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that ACC–Detroit Arsenal awarded an $89 million order for new PLS A2 vehicles, associated kits, and installations under the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles V contract. The company frames the PLS A2 as “autonomy-ready,” aligning it with Army efforts to move supplies in contested environments and at speed. FHTV V provides the vehicle pipeline through August 2029, directly affecting how brigades receive ammunition, fuel, and ISO-compatible loads under operational stress.
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The PLS concept remains that of a heavy tactical truck with a load handling system capable of picking up and setting down flatracks or compatible containers without a trailer and without external lifting equipment (Picture source: Oshkosh)

The order falls under the FHTV program, which also includes the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck A4. The program logic remains straightforward. The Army acquires families of vehicles that share militarized commercial components, which simplifies training and maintenance while reducing lifecycle costs. The release highlights this commonality and the practice of recapitalizing older trucks to current standards. In practice, this allows planners to combine new production with recap work, so fielded fleets advance in blocks rather than through abrupt step changes. For a logistics fleet, that approach is often more useful than headline totals. Availability and predictable sustainment usually determine whether a unit meets its daily resupply plan.

Technically, the A2 configuration is organized around three elements. First, by wire features that enable autonomous operation. Second, active driver assistance is intended to increase crew protection and efficiency in complex environments. Third, open architecture designed to accept future technology insertions. These are functional choices. By wire control is a prerequisite for supervised autonomous convoy modes and leader follower concepts on public roads or higher risk segments where exposure should be reduced. Active assistance typically covers functions such as adaptive brake control, stability aids, and situational sensors that reduce rollover and collision risk when the vehicle is heavy, the road surface is poor, or visibility is limited. An open digital backbone, for its part, allows the integration of new controllers, autonomy kits, or protection systems without redesigning the entire vehicle.

The PLS concept remains that of a heavy tactical truck with a load handling system capable of picking up and setting down flatracks or compatible containers without a trailer and without external lifting equipment. The advantage is speed. Crews can arrive at a distribution point, swap loads in minutes and depart. A2 upgrades do not change that method. They add electronic control layers, improved power distribution, and software managed subsystems that make integration with autonomy modules and the battalion command and control framework easier. Even for units still operating manually, this control architecture matters because it supports diagnostics, improves fault isolation, and helps keep vehicles available.

From the user’s perspective, the operational problem has shifted. The Army anticipates dispersed formations, longer ground lines of communication, and more persistent surveillance of choke points. The release states this explicitly. Active assistance and autonomy reduce crew fatigue and the number of soldiers exposed per convoy. By wire control allows, in certain scenarios, a single manned lead vehicle with unmanned followers or tighter spacing to cross vulnerable segments faster. Open architecture means the platform can accept electronic countermeasures, sensor kits, or add on protection modules as they become available. In the near term, units gain even without using full autonomy on every route. Advanced driver assistance remains useful in poor weather, at night, or on narrow rural roads where a fully loaded truck is unforgiving.

The contract structure also warrants attention because it affects how quickly these capabilities reach units. Under FHTV V, the Army can continue procurement until August 2029, drawing on both new production and recapitalized vehicles already in inventory. That mix shortens the interval between award and fielding for part of the fleet. The kits and installations included in this order indicate that a share of what defines the A2 variant lies in electronics and control systems rather than a completely new hull. The statement from Pat Williams, Chief Programs Officer, describes the effort as modernizing quickly and at scale. For logistics platforms, scale is the key consideration. A brigade requires a sufficient volume of compatible trucks, not just a handful of demonstrators.

The wider context also explains why the Army is investing in contested logistics. National Defense Strategy priorities have shifted toward pacing threats with long range strike and maritime denial capabilities that complicate port access and inland distribution. In the Indo Pacific, distances increase fuel and ammunition demand while limiting infrastructure. In Europe, high consumption and the visibility of road convoys on dense networks add pressure on protection and cadence. In both theaters, supply lines will be observed, harassed, and at times cut. A truck that can be upgraded, that accepts autonomy kits when regulations allow, and that reduces the crew burden retains utility beyond the depot. It gives commanders more options for when and how to move critical loads. It also aligns with the Army’s technology insertion approach, which favors platforms that can integrate new software, sensors, and effectors without total redesign.

The emphasis on open architecture and future insertions therefore reads as a practical choice. It means a unit receiving an A2 variant today can expect software and hardware improvements over the life of the vehicle while retaining compatibility. It also keeps the platform aligned with the Army’s transformation agenda, which aims to harden logistics against electronic attack, cyber disruption, and attrition in prolonged campaigns. The amount on this order is modest relative to broader procurement lines, but it is a data point. The service is steering its heavy tactical fleet toward a configuration that supports autonomy, active assistance, and digital sustainment tools.