The General Tactical Vehicles (GTV) team of General Dynamics Land Systems and AM General delivered today seven Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), four trailers and supporting equipment ahead of schedule to the US Army and US Marine Corps for Technology Development (TD) phase testing. The TD phase includes a 12-month test and evaluation process at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, in Aberdeen, Md., and at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Ariz. This follows GTV's previous ahead-of-schedule deliveries of armor samples, ballistic hulls and spare parts.

"Our GTV JLTVs provide increased protection, payload and performance for the Soldiers and Marines," said Don Howe, GTV senior program director. "I am very proud of the effort demonstrated by our GTV team, including our supplier network, to deliver a balanced solution that meets or exceeds the technical and programmatic challenges of the very demanding JLTV program.

"The GTV team's significant experience with deployed global forces gives us unique and valuable insight into the needs of the warfighter," added Howe. "Delivering ahead of schedule, within budget and under-weight underlines our proven track record of dependability and performance."

Drawing from the combined experience of General Dynamics and AM General in building and supporting tactical and combat vehicles, GTV's vehicle design provides an armored crew capsule with an optimized V-shaped hull for protection against mines and IEDs, a state-of-the art C4 architecture that accommodates future force technology capabilities, high-performance and off-road mobility and deployability by land, sea and air.

"Our robust, disciplined and focused system-engineering approach placed the warfighter at the center of product design. GTV has developed an innovative family of vehicles and trailers that meet weight, transportability, survivability and mobility requirements while achieving greater than 95 percent commonality of components to reduce parts, maintenance and training needs," said David Caldwell, GTV deputy program director.

LTC Wolfgang Petermann, US Army JLTV product manager, took delivery of the GTV JLTV vehicles. Petermann said, "The JLTV Technology Development (TD) phase is intended to validate the integration of mature technologies as a complete vehicle system, rebalancing payload, protection and performance while maintaining transportability and expeditionary capabilities. The JLTV TD phase is accomplishing what it was intended to do, giving the Army, Marine Corps and the Australian Army an accurate assessment of the technical and performance capabilities and risks associated with entering the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase. The TD phase will establish a realistic set of requirements for the JLTV, which our warfighters need."

An official from the Australian Department of Defence also attended the ceremony. In January 2009, Australia entered into a Land Force Capability Modernization Project Arrangement for the TD phase of the JLTV program, enabling tactical vehicle interoperability and integration between US and Australian forces.

GTV has invested in additional JLTV vehicles and trailers as part of its independent R&D program. "We are continuing our own extensive testing for reliability and durability to complement the government effort and prepare for the next phase of the JLTV development program," said Howe. "We're also continuing to evaluate emerging technologies - taking advantage of our JLTV's built-in capacity for technology insertion, growth opportunities and product improvements."

Source: GTV