JLTV Winners Expected

The Army and Marine Corps are expected to award up to three $65 million contracts Friday for the next developmental phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, though the award date is subject to change, according to government and industry sources.

As reported by Inside the Army in June, industry teams competing for the program expect the winners to be announced on Aug. 24, though the awards were initially expected earlier this summer.

So far, six industry teams have emerged as bidders for the JLTV's 27-month engineering and manufacturing development phase: BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Navistar Defense, Oshkosh Defense, AM General in a solo bid, and AM General partnering with General Dynamics.

Officials from several companies involved consider the JLTV a must-win proposition given that armored vehicle spending is set to decrease well below levels seen at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The JLTV is intended to be a phased replacement of the humvee, which has been deemed unsafe to operate in environments with improvised explosive devices.

The services expect to procure a total of more than 55,000 vehicles.