26 Feb 03. Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems, LP, manufacturer of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) for the U.S. military, showed BATTLESPACE its new 11-ton truck at AUSA.
Stewart & Stevenson has successfully designed, developed and manufactured ultra-reliable FMTVs that provide the Army with new and innovative platform capabilities. The new 11-ton demonstrator continues that series of success, incorporating many of the capabilities that the Army envisions for its future trucks, including an operator monitor with embedded diagnostics and prognostics technologies, on-board training for repair and maintenance, situational awareness and night vision capabilities; uplink to satellite; and Global Positioning System navigation.
The 11-ton truck retains a high degree of component commonality with current 2.5- and 5-ton FMTVs. The 11-ton FMTV approaches a long-held Army goal of 1:1 payload-to-truck weight ratio, permitting C-130 aircraft deployability with substantial cargo.
“Stewart & Stevenson excels in the design, development, production, and support of systems that enable the Army’s mission to fight and win wars,” said Dennis M. Dellinger, President and Chief Operating Officer of Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems, LP. “In cooperation with the PM-MTV office, Stewart & Stevenson is continuously meeting the challenge by pursuing state-of-the-art technology to meet new and emerging requirements for the U.S. Army while continuing to produce the military’s most reliable tactical vehicles.”
Stewart & Stevenson has received recognition as an industry leader in lean manufacturing, and recently was certified to the ISO 9001:2000 requirements.
Stewart & Stevenson is the industry leader in reliability, producing an FMTV
A1 with 13,333 mean miles between hardware mission failure, exceeding contract requirements twice over, and achieving an Operational Readiness rating of
98 percent. Stewart & Stevenson also has teamed with the Army to achieve 22- plus years of corrosion prevention on the FMTV.
Stewart & Stevenson has designed, manufactured and supported the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles for the U.S. Army since 1991. The FMTV, which includes 2.5-ton and 5-ton trucks in more than 14 variants, is produced in Stewart & Stevenson’s state-of-the-art facilities located 50 miles west of Houston in Sealy, Texas. The company has produced more than 18,000 FMTV trucks and trailers for the U.S. Army. The company is currently one of four contenders bidding for the UK’s Future cargo Vehicle contract. (See BATTLESPACE C4ISTAR TECHNOLOGIES, February 2003)
BATTLESPACE has accepted an invitation form S&S to drive its trucks at its Sealy test track in Texas later this year.