AM General details next version of JLTV

With AM General set to produce the next iteration of the Army’s light tactical vehicle, the company recently displayed an example it intends to produce.

The company made “several modifications” to improve the efficiency and durability of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, according to Bob Putnam, the company’s JLTV program director, who spoke with Inside Defense last week at the 2023 Association of the United States Army annual conference in Washington.

Taking over production from Oshkosh Defense, AM General's JLTV A2 will include noise reduction features, lithium-ion batteries, a more powerful engine and expanded rear storage space, Putnam said.

Displayed at the conference, the vehicle resembles Oshkosh’s version externally, but Putnam said that AM General worked with the Army to redesign the front grille.

Putnam declined to provide details on the protection characteristics but said the JLTV A2’s armor “will do very well” and the vehicle can also be fitted with additional armor.

The company will also provide a 30-year warranty for anticorrosion on certain vehicle parts and greater efficiency in the engine.

Designed to replace a portion of the humvee fleet, the JLTV serves as the Army’s light tactical vehicle in combat environments.

The JLTV will have variants for general purpose use, utility, a heavy gun carrier and a close combat vehicle armed with anti-tank weapons.

In January, the Army awarded AM General a follow-on contract to produce the JLTV after a competition with Oshkosh. Oshkosh appealed the outcome, but the Government Accountability Office denied the company’s protest.

The Army is slated to procure 2,601 JLTVs, according to service budget documents for fiscal year 2024. The Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force will also procure smaller numbers of JLTVs.