Photo: Oshkosh
Once upon a time U.S. Army General John J. Pershing, the man in charge of the American Expeditionary Forces during the harsh yeasr of World War I, said that "infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars." That phrase, true to the core, has become a sort of mantra for the American military, an organization that likes not only to have its weapons ready for combat, but also all the other hardware that keeps the weapons firing. Including heavy tactical vehicles that can perform massive tasks.
These machines are platforms used by the armed forces not only for combat but also for support and relief operations. For American troops and many of their allies, they come in the form of the vehicles produced by defense contractor Oshkosh.
The company is responsible for no less than 50,000 heavy tactical vehicles delivered over the past few decades in the hands of the world's armies. It makes a large variety of them, including the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4, Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET), Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR), the Paletized Load System (PLS), and the Wheeled Tanker.
It's unclear exactly how many of these vehicles are presently in operation with the U.S. military, but it would seem they are not nearly enough. And that was made obvious by a recent order for new trucks placed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA).
As per the order, which is valued at $231.9 million, Oshkosh will have to deliver new HEMTTs, PLSs, and tankers, but also cargos, wreckers, load handling systems (LHS), Common Bridge Transports (CBT).
The HEMTT A4 is an eight-wheeled beast, powered by a Caterpillar C15 engine capable of developing 500 horsepower, that can take on pretty much all conceivable terrain. It has been in use since the early 1980s as a transport for supplies, including in the form of combat vehicles and weapons.
The PLS A1 is about a decade younger than the HEMTT, and it too is used to transport cargo. It does this by using demountable flatrack cargo beds.
Aside from having to deliver new trucks, Oshkosh will also have to rebuild and upgrade existing heavy tactical vehicles. It's a process the Army uses often, as it's cheaper than having to buy new hardware, while at the same time resulting in as-new trucks with zero miles and zero hours of use. To date, says Oshkosh, no less than 20,000 heavy tactical trucks have gone through this procedure that is known as recapitalization.
The defense contractor makes no mention on when it is supposed to complete delivery of the new trucks, and we also have no details on exactly how many of them are covered by the order the Detroit Arsenal placed this week.
The company is responsible for no less than 50,000 heavy tactical vehicles delivered over the past few decades in the hands of the world's armies. It makes a large variety of them, including the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4, Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET), Logistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR), the Paletized Load System (PLS), and the Wheeled Tanker.
It's unclear exactly how many of these vehicles are presently in operation with the U.S. military, but it would seem they are not nearly enough. And that was made obvious by a recent order for new trucks placed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA).
As per the order, which is valued at $231.9 million, Oshkosh will have to deliver new HEMTTs, PLSs, and tankers, but also cargos, wreckers, load handling systems (LHS), Common Bridge Transports (CBT).
The HEMTT A4 is an eight-wheeled beast, powered by a Caterpillar C15 engine capable of developing 500 horsepower, that can take on pretty much all conceivable terrain. It has been in use since the early 1980s as a transport for supplies, including in the form of combat vehicles and weapons.
The PLS A1 is about a decade younger than the HEMTT, and it too is used to transport cargo. It does this by using demountable flatrack cargo beds.
Aside from having to deliver new trucks, Oshkosh will also have to rebuild and upgrade existing heavy tactical vehicles. It's a process the Army uses often, as it's cheaper than having to buy new hardware, while at the same time resulting in as-new trucks with zero miles and zero hours of use. To date, says Oshkosh, no less than 20,000 heavy tactical trucks have gone through this procedure that is known as recapitalization.
The defense contractor makes no mention on when it is supposed to complete delivery of the new trucks, and we also have no details on exactly how many of them are covered by the order the Detroit Arsenal placed this week.
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