The American military is smack down in the middle of a massive modernization program. Although the most visible moves are being made in the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) backyard, the Army is pushing the throttle hard as well.
Back in June, the Army announced a Request for Prototype Proposals for what it calls the Common Tactical Truck (CTT) program. It’s an effort meant to come up with replacement hardware for the existing and aging fleet of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. More to the point, replacements for the likes of Palletized Load System (PLS), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), and M915 Line Haul Tractor, among others.
The Army expects to award a contract this December, and with just two months or so left to go, two new players now sit at the table: American Rheinmetall Vehicles and GM Defense.
The two companies announced this week they’ll be competing for the program together, in the hopes of snatching a massive sum of $5 billion for the delivery of about 5,700 vehicles, should the military branch decide on moving ahead with production.
Although they didn't exactly spell the kind of vehicles the two are proposing, Rheinmetall’s HX3 will probably play a major, central role in the companies' offering for the Army.
The Army requested trucks with maximum commercial element but able to perform military missions. They should also have “advanced driver safety systems, increased off-road mobility, cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence, improved survivability, and fuel efficiency among other emerging technologies,” as per the announced specs.
The new HX3 platform was shown by American Rheinmetall back in May of last year, and it presently comes in three configurations: truck-based howitzer, system carrier, and load handler. More uses for it could probably easily be dreamt up for the Army’s needs, should they request such things.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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