Belgian Army testing offroad mobility of its future Oshkosh Defense JLTV Falcon CLVs.

Last September, Oshkosh Defense carried out mobility tests at the Belgian army camp located in Marche-en-Famenne to demonstrate the mobility performance of the JLTV, the Command and Liaison Vehicles (CLV) which will equip the units of the Components Earth and Medical from March 2023.
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JLTV CLV "Falcon" with DeFNder Light 7.62 Remote Control Weapon Station (RCWS) from the Belgian company FN Herstal, demonstrated on September 29, 2022, at the Roi Albert camp of the Belgian Army located at Marche-en-Famenne (Picture source: Gérald Daguin)

Information was released on October 13, 2020, according to which Oshkosh Defense confirmed that the Belgium Ministry of Defense had awarded Oshkosh Defense a contract for 322 JLTV Command and Liaison Vehicles (CLV) equipped with Belgian communication systems, for an amount of 134.7 million euros - plus an initial support contract of 15.4 million euros to provide technical assistance and logistical support to the new CLVs during the first four years following their entry into service. Traditionally procured via foreign military sales, the Belgian procurement marks Oshkosh Defense's first large direct commercial sale of a JLTV-based vehicle.

Oshkosh Defense sent two vehicles and a team of technicians to Belgium for a few weeks to carry out a test campaign and ensure that its product complies with the customer's requirements. On Thursday, September 29, the American manufacturer presented these vehicles – which weigh, depending on the version and the equipment, from 6 to 8.5 tonnes – to the commanders of the Land and Medical components, Major Generals Pierre Gérard and Marc Ongena , and to officials of subordinate units, during off-road tests carried out at the Roi Albert camp in Marche-en-Famenne.

The two vehicles – prototypes of the Belgian version which are to be reconditioned – have demonstrated various off-road mobility skills, in particular that which is based on the possibility of raising or lowering the two axles asymmetrically by around 50cm. A tactical advantage, this unique ability notably allows the rear axle to be raised to put the vehicle in a horizontal position when it arrives cautiously at the top of a hill, this allowing the crew to expose only the top of the vehicle and observe the environment without having to expose the entire front of the vehicle beforehand. This possibility of raising the vehicle can also obviously prove to be invaluable for overcoming certain obstacles.

JLTV CLV "Falcon" with both axles lowered, demonstrated on September 29, 2022, at the Roi Albert camp of the Belgian Army located at Marche-en-Famenne (Picture source: Gérald Daguin)

In Belgium, the JLTV CLVs will be baptized "Falcon" and adapted to Belgian needs (with, for example, the fitting of radios of French origin to communicate with the future armored vehicles of the Franco-Belgian program CaMo (CApacité MOtorisée, Motorized capacity) and to the European legislation (the headlights will thus be modified and the engine will be reprogrammed to meet CO2 emission standards).

Oshkosh has been commissioned to integrate a DeFNder Light 7.62 Remote Control Weapon Station (RCWS) from the Belgian company FN Herstal, on 135 of these vehicles. The Falcon is however 90% identical to the basic JLTV, assured the project officer, Major Cédric Crombez. Equipped with the latest technological refinements (a Battle Management System, radio and satellite communications, on-board tablets displaying a great deal of information, etc.), the Falcon still has growth potential, underlined Major Crombez who mentioned the possibility of installing jammers intended to protect soldiers deployed in operations against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

The 322 CLV must mainly equip the combat units of the Land component (26 of them will go to the Special Operations Regiment (SOR) and in particular to the Special Forces Group (SFG)). The Medical Component will receive 20, indicated one of the managers of the CLV program within the General Directorate of Material Resources of Defense (DG-MR), Colonel Jean-Pol Baugnée. They are to succeed the IVECO LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle) Lynx, in service since 2007.

JLTV CLV "Falcon" in basic configuration demonstrated on September 29, 2022, at the Roi Albert camp of the Belgian Army located at Marche-en-Famenne (Picture source: Gérald Daguin)