The light combat tactical all-terrain vehicle (L-ATV) was developed by Oshkosh Defense as part of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) programme. JLTV is a programme of the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) that is intended to replace part of the Humvee fleet with a new multirole light vehicle, offering superior crew protection and performance.

In January 2012, the US Army issued a request for proposal (RfP) for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the JLTV programme. Along with Oshkosh, five other teams confirmed their bidding for the EMD phase of the programme by March 2012. The vehicles offered were BAE Systems’ Valanx, General Tactical Vehicles’ JLTV Eagle, Lockheed Martin’s JLTV, Navistar’s Saratoga and AM General’s BRV-O.

As part of the EMD phase, the army awarded three contracts to AM General, Lockheed Martin and Oshkosh, for the delivery of 22 prototypes per contract.

Light combat tactical all-terrain vehicle development

Oshkosh began the L-ATV development in 2006 in response to the JLTV programme. In spite of losing the technology development contract for the JLTV programme in 2008, Oshkosh unveiled the first prototype vehicle, known as light combat tactical vehicle (LCTV), in 2010. The company, however, re-entered the JLTV programme as the US Army and USMC reset the requirements, schedule, and cost of the programme.

The L-ATV successfully completed the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race in the extreme terrain of the Mexican desert in November 2010. Developed over six generations, it entered into EMD phase production in October 2012. The L-ATV utility variant for the JLTV programme was rolled out in February 2013.

The vehicle was developed using the innovative technologies proven during the last ten years in Iraq and Afghanistan. The performance characteristics were checked through extensive mission-profile testing.

The US Army and USMC completed the multiservice operational test and evaluation (MOT&E) of the JLTV in 2018.

Orders and deliveries

Oshkosh received a contract worth $6.7bn from the US Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) to manufacture the JLTV. The contract involves the low rate initial production (LRIP) and full rate production (FRP) of approximately 17,000 vehicles along with sustainment services.

The company was awarded an order worth $42m by the US Army for additional vehicles and associated installed and packaged kits in September 2016. The first Oshkosh JLTV units were delivered to the US Army in September 2016.

The US Army ordered 409 vehicles, 1,984 installed kits, 82 packaged kits worth more than $176m in January 2017. The fifth and sixth production orders under the JLTV programme were awarded in August and September 2017, respectively.

Oshkosh received a $484m order for the delivery of 1,574 JLTVs and associated kits in June 2018.

The tenth order worth $1.69bn for an additional 6,107 JLTVs and associated kits was placed by the US Army in November 2018.

An additional 2,721 JLTVs were ordered by the US Army in December 2019. The vehicles are intended for the US Army, USMC, Air Force, and Navy. The order also included 30 JLTVs for Montenegro under the foreign military sale (FMS) programme.

The US Army placed a $407.3m order for 1,240 JLTVs and associated kits in February 2020. The order will provide JLTVs for USMC, Lithuania, and Slovenia, while the kits will be supplied to the US Army, USMC, Lithuania, and Slovenia.

In October 2020, Oshkosh secured a contract from the Belgium Ministry of Defence for the supply of 322 command and liaison vehicles (CLV), which is based on the JLTV platform.

The US Army ordered 2,738 JLTVs, 1,001 companion trailers, and associated kits in December 2020. The vehicles are intended for delivery to the US Army, Navy, USMC, Air Force, and US allies.

The Slovenian Defence Ministry received 38 new JLTV vehicles in May 2021.

Oshkosh received an order worth $152m to manufacture JLTVs for the US Army, Air Force, Navy, and USMC along with North Macedonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Romania in June 2021.

The company has built more than 12,500 vehicles for the US and its partners, as of July 2021.

L-ATV armament and crew protection

The basic L-ATV comes with no standard weapon configuration. It can be mounted with a range of remotely controlled weapon stations. The turret can be fitted with a 7.62 or 12.7mm machine gun. Armament configurations vary, based on the mission requirements.

The L-ATV is equipped with an advanced crew protection system, which offers a protection level similar to that of mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles. The protection system can withstand underbelly blasts. The L-ATV can accept add-on armour packages to operate according to the mission requirements.

Oshkosh’s L-ATV engine and mobility The L-ATV developed by Oshkosh is equipped with a diesel engine delivering power to a high-output electric generator. The optionally fitted ProPulse diesel electric powertrain is not a current requirement of the JLTV programme. The powertrain solution offers improved fuel economy, while allowing the vehicle to generate 70kW onboard and export power.

L-ATV is equipped with a TAK-4i intelligent independent suspension system, offering high levels of mobility and manoeuvrability to the vehicle.

The TAK-4i system is specially designed for high-performance, lightweight vehicles, providing high-mobility in rough off-road terrain.

The suspension is coil sprung and offers 20 inches of travel, which is 25% more than any vehicle currently used by the US military.

The system can be raised and lowered using internal controls.

The suspension system improves the ride quality and load-carrying capacity, while offering reduced life-cycle costs.

The compact design and dimensions of the L-ATV allow for the easy transportation of the vehicle by most of the military transport aircraft in the US Army.

Oshkosh L-ATV variants

The Oshkosh JLTV General Purpose vehicle provides power, speed, and protected mobility. It is positioned as a go-anywhere, do-anything light tactical vehicle with advanced capabilities.

The Heavy Guns Carrier (HGC) variant can accommodate crew-served and remote weapon systems. Equipped with a protected gun mount, the vehicle provides overwatch and direct fire support during infantry manoeuvres and convoy escort missions. Furthermore, the HGC can be equipped with lasers and other non-kinetic weapons to counter the risk of drone swarms.

The JLTV Utility vehicle is used to carry cargo or shelters, while the Close Combat Weapons Carrier (CCWC) variant is designed to carry a variety of weapons to support different missions.

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