INTERNATIONAL AND LOCKHEED MARTIN SELECTED FOR NEXT STAGE OF FTTS
06 Feb 06. The U.S. Army, moving a step closer to developing a next-generation tactical utility truck to replace an aging fleet including the familiar HMMV, selected International Military and Government, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Truck and Engine Corporation – the operating company of Navistar International Corporation – and Lockheed Martin Corp. to build demonstrator armored vehicles, narrowing the competition from four companies to two for the second phase of the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical Truck System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (FTTS ACTD).
The Army’s Tank-automotive and Armanents Command (TACOM) awarded International $12.25m to build its demonstrator over the next 18 months. International and Lockheed Martin Corp., competed against military suppliers AM General Corp. and Stewart & Stevenson Vehicle Services Inc. to develop demonstrator models of the FTTS-UV. The initial stages of the FTTS research-and-development effort relied almost entirely on modeling and simulation.
The selection of both International and Lockheed Martin represents a shift within the military in the way it procures for tomorrow’s army. The two companies are not among the traditional suppliers of light and medium tactical vehicles. But they are among the companies that have developed state-of-the-art technology applicable to the military’s future needs when in combat.
International, for instance, offers technology advances in truck electronics, tracking, logistics, body-equipment integration, hybrid capabilities, electronic engines and external power sources. Its electronics/telematics feature advanced architecture, diagnostics and prognostics, satellite solutions and geofencing, which is restricting the movement of a vehicle to within a specified area.
The Army views its FTTS program – which, besides the utility vehicle includes a heavier vehicle to replace current medium tactical vehicles and the heavy fleet of cargo trucks – as a necessary step in modernizing its tactical wheeled vehicles and making its troops easier to deploy. The Army is also looking for trucks that can perform well with the added weight of armor.
“The Army is seeking several key technologies – from embedded simulators and diagnostics and prognotics technologies to movement-tracking systems and mobility and fuel-savings features – and International already has many of the capabilities to supply a tactical utility truck that delivers what our troops require over the most rugged, extreme and dangerous conditions,” said Archie Massicotte, president of International’s Military and Government Business. “We are eager to add our name to the roster of major military suppliers that deliver innovative, breakthrough technologies.”
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $9m contract to build a technology demonstration vehicle. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will build an LM4x4 FTTS utility vehicle for delivery to the Army later this fall. The truck will then undergo a Platform Systems Demonstration and a Military User Assessment. The results of these evaluations will be used to refine the requirements for the next generation of tactical wheeled vehicles.
“The ACTD’s second phase is an important step in developing the requirements for safer and more survivable vehicles for our warfighters,” said Louis J. De Santis, vice president and general manager, Integrated Products, at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration — Owego. “We look forward to working with the Army to build a technology demonstration truck that will help the service refine the requirements for the 40,000-plus vehicles that will eventually replace the Humvee.”
Lockheed Martin was selected to build the demonstration vehicle because of its performance in the ACTD’s initial modeling and simulation phase, which concluded in September. During that phase, the LM4x4 FTTS utility vehicle design was able