Oshkosh Defense awarded contract to recapitalize US Army heavy vehicle fleet.

Oshkosh Defense, an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced on 8 February that it has been awarded a $232.7 million delivery order from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to recapitalize vehicles in the Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) fleet.

Oshkosh Defense HEMTT A LHS  (Picture source: Oshkosh Defense)

Under the contract, Oshkosh will recapitalize a total of 407 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and Palletized Load System (PLS) trucks as well as manufacture 601 new PLS trailers. The HEMTT and PLS have been in the Army’s fleet since 1981 and 1990 respectively, and Oshkosh has been performing recapitalization services on these vehicles since 1995.

“As the backbone of the U.S. Army’s resupply and distribution system, the HEMTT and PLS vehicles are heavily relied on to carry munitions and other critical supplies across all types of terrains and in all types of environments,” said Pat Williams, Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Army and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense. “We are proud that the U.S. Army has trusted Oshkosh to provide this cost-effective recapitalization service for over 2 decades,” Williams continued. “As the original equipment manufacturer, we know these vehicles inside and out, and we are in the best position to quickly return them to field operations in like-new condition.”

Through recapitalization, vehicles are stripped to the frame rails, rebuilt to the latest configuration and returned to the fleet in zero-mile, zero-hour condition with the same technology, safety features, bumper-to-bumper warranty and life cycle cost advantage of a new vehicle.

In total, Oshkosh has recapitalized over 12,500 HEMTTs and 3,000 PLS trucks since 1995.