AM General LLC is backing two separate proposals for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program.
In addition to its role in the “Eagle” bid by General Tactical Vehicles, a joint venture formed with General Dynamics Land Systems in 2007, AM General has announced its submission of “an independent JLTV solution for the EMD phase based on more than a decade of the company’s own investments in research, development and testing for the next-generation light tactical military vehicle.”
“BRV-O also features a lightweight, fuel efficient, high performance engine; a self-leveling suspension system; a C4ISR backbone with open-standard networked architecture and clustered super-computing power, and other advanced components,” it states. “These and other mature subsystems have been tested, refined and validated. This makes BRV-O cost effective and production ready, with the high degree of reliability needed by U.S. service members.”
According to the announcement, AM General’s new Blast-Resistant Vehicle – Off Road (BRV-O) “is a highly mobile and versatile platform that meets or exceeds 100 percent of the government’s program evaluation criteria including protection, performance, payload, transportability, reliability and affordability. BRV-O features a crew capsule and modular armor already proven effective in government-supervised blast testing. This AM General design can be readily adapted to future changes in U.S. military missions, enemy threats and new protection technologies as they emerge.”
AM General’s BRV-O is the firm’s independent entrant into the JLTV competition for the EMD phase. Photo courtesy of AM General
“BRV-O also features a lightweight, fuel efficient, high performance engine; a self-leveling suspension system; a C4ISR backbone with open-standard networked architecture and clustered super-computing power, and other advanced components,” it states. “These and other mature subsystems have been tested, refined and validated. This makes BRV-O cost effective and production ready, with the high degree of reliability needed by U.S. service members.”
Highlighted BRV-O features included in the announcement:
- The return of off-road mobility and performance to American warfighters;
- Proven blast and ballistic protection through crew capsule and modular armor;
- Readily deployable by air, land and sea with 3,500-pound payload;
- Adaptable to joint-force missions and enemy threats, now and in the future;
- Optimization of the “iron triangle” of protection, payload, performance;
- Surpasses requirements for speed, range, on-board electrical power and stowage;
- Lightweight, fuel-efficient, high-performance and easily maintained engine, and;
- System maturity from 300,000-plus miles of testing means a high degree of reliability.
The AM General announcement adds, “Both of the proposals backed by AM General have the added value of the company’s 50-plus years of experience – making it, by far, the most experienced light tactical military vehicle developer and manufacturer in the United States.”