Oshkosh Defense unveils hybrid electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle for US Army

News, US January 27, 2022 , by IRIA 1 Comment

U.S. industrial company Oshkosh Defense unveiled the first hybrid electric version of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) it has fielded to the U.S. military and other customers.

According to the Oshkosh Defense statement, the eJLTV will offer U.S. soldiers and Marines 30 minutes of silent drive and exportable power capabilities, without the need for battlefield recharging.

Oshkosh Defense’s president John Bryant said in a virtual briefing, “We developed the JLTV to offer our military customers an affordable way to electrify a light tactical wheeled vehicle fleet without compromising performance or protection.”

“The warfighter has the option to seamlessly transition from silent mode to conventional mode and vice versa with just the flip of a switch, and you can do this while on the go,” Bryant added.

*^{Oshkosh Defense unveiled hybrid electric version of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle in a virtual event on January 25, 2022. (Image Credit: Oshkosh Defense)}*

According to Oshkosh Defense’s president, the electric JLTV is not an Army requirement for its upcoming recompete, however, the company decided to invest in the hybrid electric vehicle for future needs of the U.S. Army.

“I’ve been listening to senior leaders in the Army for a few years and we’ve talked at great length about what electrification brings to the table, what silent drive can bring to the table, what that extended silent watch can do, what the needs for increased export power can do,” Bryant said.

Under the current contract to deliver JLTVs to the U.S. military, the Oshkosh Defense has already manufactured 15,000 vehicles, which can be retrofitted with hybrid-electric technology. The company will ultimately build over 66,000 JLTVs by the year 2024 for about $30 billion.

The Oshkosh press release highlighted that the eJLTV improves fuel consumption by 20% and maintains the same protection and mobility as the diesel-powered JLTVs. The electric battery has a capacity of 30-kilowatt hours “with opportunity for growth,” the statement added. The latest eJLTV also eliminated a need for a towed generator due to its export power capacity of up to 115-kilowatt hours.

*^{Hybrid electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. (Image Credit: Oshkosh Defense)}*

According to John Bryant, “Electrification of the ground vehicle fleet has become increasingly important to our military customers. Oshkosh Defense has been employing hybrid electric technology for the U.S. military on heavy- and medium-duty tactical wheeled vehicles for years, although adoption has mostly been in small quantities, demonstration and test programs.”

Although the company’s vice president said that he would be “very surprised” if the U.S. Army lists a requirement for a hybrid capability in its final request for proposal for JLTV, which will be released later this month. However, Bryant stressed that if the U.S. Army requested an electric JLTV, the Oshkosh Defense is ready to build it “right now.”