Oshkosh Defense to provide Underbody Armor Kit upgrade for FMTV light trucks of US Army.

According to a contract published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on February 5, 2021, Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $61,002,554 firm-fixed-price contract for 1,081 Underbody Armor Kit upgrade kits for the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles for the U.S. Army.
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Yi Hak-tae, 403rd Army Field Support Brigade Acquisition, logistics and technology supply technician, guides a family of medium tactical vehicle onto a railhead June 22 as part of 25th Transportation Battalion and 403rd Army Field Support Brigade railhead operations. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

The Underbody Armor Kit was developed in response to an urgent need in the field to increase protection for HEMTT wreckers and Light Equipment Transporters (LET) recovering Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in Afghanistan’s challenging terrain.

The Underbody Armor Kit is designed to protect combat vehicles against landmine blasts and IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) including EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator) threats, which is now one of the most critical threats of the modern battlefield. 

The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) is a series of vehicles, based on a common chassis using 4x4 and 6x6 configurations. The vehicle is derived from the Austrian Steyr 12 M 18 truck but substantially modified to meet U.S. Army requirements, including a minimum 50 per cent U.S. content. 

The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) is a system of strategically deployable vehicles that performs general resupply, ammunition resupply, maintenance and recovery, and engineer support missions. It serves as weapon systems platforms for combat, combat support and combat service support units in a tactical environment.

The Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) has a 2.5-ton capacity (cargo, van and chassis models) and a companion trailer. The Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) has a 5-ton capacity (cargo; long-wheelbase cargo with and without materiel handling equipment; tractor; van; wrecker; 8.8-ton Load Handling System (LHS); 8.8-ton LHS trailer and 10-ton dump truck models). Three truck variants and two companion trailers, with the same payload capacity as their prime movers, provide airdrop capability. MTV also serves as the platform for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and resupply vehicle for PATRIOT and HIMARS. FMTV operates worldwide in all weather and terrain conditions.