The U.S. Army instructed the Oshkosh Corporation to resume work on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) following the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision to dismiss Lockheed Martin’s protest yesterday. The protest against the Army’s selection of Oshkosh for the $6.7 billion contract was filed September 8, 2015 forced the army to stop work on the program until the GAO’s decision.
The GAO announced its decision after Lockheed Martin’s notice that it intends to file another protest in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims by December 17th. Therefore, Oshkosh is expected to begin production under the Army’s orders and wait for the Court decision.
Two days later Lockheed Martin has filed a preliminary injunction with the US Court of Federal Claims that, if granted would mean the Army and Oshkosh would have to stop production of the JLTV. The new claim is based on new information obtained by the company.
According to the JLTV production contract, Oshkosh will begin delivering vehicles within the next 10 months, reaching an expected total volume of nearly 17,000 vehicles, as well as kits and sustainment services over an eight-year period. The release, even if temporary, means that Oshkosh can now proceed with orders to subcontractor, previously prevented by the Army’s the stop work order.
“We are pleased that the JLTV production contract, awarded to Oshkosh in August, is now moving forward to deliver the world’s most capable light tactical vehicle,” said U.S. Army Major General (Retired) John M. Urias, executive vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh Defense. The JLTV program fills a critical capability gap for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps by replacing a large portion of the legacy HMMWV fleet with a light vehicle that provides unprecedented protection, off-road mobility and transportability.
