Oshkosh Wins Contract For New Military Truck
30 Junio 2009 - 4:56PM
Noticias Dow Jones
The Pentagon on Tuesday awarded a $1.06 billion contract to
Oshkosh Corp. (OSK) to build armored patrol trucks for U.S. troops
in Afghanistan.
The contract specifies that the Wisconsin-based specialty truck
maker produce 2,244 all-terrain trucks.
Other contractors competing for the production contract were
Navistar International Corp. (NAV); Force Dynamics LLC, a joint
venture between defense contractors General Dynamics Corp. (GD) and
Force Protection Inc. (FRPT); and BAE Systems PLC (BA.LN).
As the winning entry in the competition, Oshkosh is positioned
to influence the Pentagon debate over a replacement for the
military's ubiquitous Humvee utility truck.
The Humvee has been the workhorse for all branches of the
military for 25 years, but as a tactical combat vehicle in Iraq and
Afghanistan, the truck has been particularly vulnerable to rocket
attacks and land mines.
The new all-terrain truck is intended as a smaller, more mobile
variant of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, trucks
deployed in Iraq to counter attacks from roadside bombs. The MRAPs,
which were credited with reducing U.S. casualties and helping
coalition forces defeat insurgents in Iraq, proved to be too large
and top-heavy for Afghanistan's mountainous terrain and rugged,
unpaved roads.
-By Bob Tita, Dow Jones Newswires; 312-750-4129;
robert.tita@dowjones.com