AUSA Winter 2014: Army to seek new medium truck family in mid-2020s

The US Army is considering buying a new group of medium tactical vehicles in about 10 years and would seek additional commonality in the fleet.

The Legacy Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) trucks are still being purchased and this year a limited numbers of Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) trucks are to be ordered as well, but "around 2025" the army hopes to buy a new medium truck, according to Kevin Fahey, Program Executive Officer for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (CS CSS).

Buying a new medium truck is "probably the next priority" for his vehicle fleet, Fahey told reporters during an Association of the United States Army (AUSA) symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

He said the CS CSS office was working with army sustainment centres and others to formulate a programme strategy, but noted that it would likely be similar to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) project in keeping requirements rather unspecific in order to see what industry can provide. Then in the mid-2020s, when the army would know what can be done technologically and how much it would cost, the service would build, test, and buy new medium trucks.

Fahey said he believes some of the tactical vehicle roles - including those filled by the Palletized Load System (PLS), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), and Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) - could be done from a common chassis.

The trucks will also have mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) levels of survivability and likely be lighter than current systems, he added.

Science and technology planning efforts for a new medium truck family have begun in collaboration with the US Marine Corps and US Navy, and Fahey said the services would co-ordinate on requirements, technologies, and programme management.

The FMTV comprises a series of vehicles different variants and models, with payloads from 2.5-5 tons that are deployable in C-5, C-17, and C-130 transport aircraft. The platforms are based on a common chassis, engine, tyres, and cab to claim 80% commonality across the models and weight classes.

The trucks perform functions ranging from cargo, line haul, wrecker and dump truck, and serve as platforms for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and support vehicles for Patriot missile systems.http://www.janes.com/