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Oshkosh Defense Awarded $180 Million Contract for 1,500 Reducible-Height Armor Kits


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OSHKOSH, Wis., Oct. 1, 2008 - Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation , has been awarded a new contract valued at more than $180 million from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command. The contract includes more than 1,500 reducible-height armor kits to be supplied to the Marine Corps for aftermarket support of the Oshkosh® Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) fleet.

The kits are designed to meet military requirements of transporting armored MTVRs at a reduced height. This allows the protected vehicles to be transported in previously inaccessible decks aboard prepositioning ships. The Oshkosh armored kits add in-theater protection to the Marine Corps’ MTVR fleet, which totals more than 10,000 MTVRs in four unique variants: cargo trucks, tractors, dump trucks and wreckers.

“The reducible-height armor kits provide maximum crew protection in the field, while also improving transportability of the armored MTVR,” said John Stoddart, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Defense. “The MTVR has successfully served the Marine Corps and Navy for years, and Oshkosh is committed to adapting the vehicle to continually meet their needs.”

The work will be carried out through Oshkosh Defense Aftermarket, which provides aftermarket services, repairs and parts distribution to customers in every corner of the globe. With factory-trained technicians, Web-based parts support and service centers worldwide, customers are covered 24/7 whether their vehicles are in the field or in garrison.

The Oshkosh MTVR is an all-terrain, multipurpose logistics vehicle used by the Marines and Navy Seabees. It comes in several variants for the transportation of troops, materials or equipment. The vehicle features an off-road 7.1-ton payload capacity and an on-road 15-ton payload capacity. Oshkosh also offers an MTVR with on-board vehicle power, which produces 120 kW of power when stationary and 21 kW of power when mobile.

Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Oshkosh has repaired and armored vehicles in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, and Oshkosh field service representatives are currently deployed throughout the Middle East.