Army orders vehicle armor kits

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OSHKOSH, Wis., April 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army and Marines have separately placed more than $38 million worth of orders with Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin for equipment for use in Afghanistan.

Under the order from the Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, 400 underbody armor protection kits will be provided to enhance protection for HEMTT A4 vehicles.

The Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck are wreckers and light equipment transporters recovering disabled Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.

"Delivering this new line of protection kits is part of our ongoing work to ensure that the workhorse of the Army's heavy tactical truck recovery fleet, the HEMTT A4 wrecker, protects those serving on the battlefield," said Mike Ivy, vice president and general manager of Army Programs for Oshkosh Defense. "Closely collaborating with the Army, we produced and delivered the armor upgrades rapidly to meet the threats that soldiers face in Afghanistan."

The Marine Corps order, which accounts for $12 million of the two orders, is for more than 15 uparmored Logistics Vehicle System Replacement wreckers.

The LVSR wrecker is able to flat tow 55 tons, and lift and tow 48 tons. It is equipped with the Oshkosh Command Zone embedded diagnostics system to provide real-time performance feedback on vital vehicle information and uses the company's patented TAK-4 independent suspension system for superior off-road mobility.

Deliveries of the HEMTT underbody kits for the TACOM order are scheduled to be completed in July. Deliveries of the LVSRs are scheduled to take place between June and September, the company said.