Navistar joins JLTV bidding

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LISLE, Ill., March 30 (UPI) -- The list of bidders for the U.S. military contract for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles continues to grow with Navistar Defense LLC joining the competition.

Navistar said it has submitted its proposal with a variant of its International Saratoga light tactical vehicle, which the company launched in October after conducting tests on its automotive and anti-blast capabilities.

AM General announced this week it had joined the JLTV competition, which also includes Oshkosh and BAE Systems. BAE is seeking the contract in collaborative offering with Northrop Grumman and Meritor Defense.

The JLTV award -- three are expected to be issued in June -- is for the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the project, which includes the production of more than 200 prototype vehicles.

Navistar said the Saratoga was designed to target a gap in the light tactical vehicle market and features a flexible platform that will allow the company to quickly produce variant models.

"We made a significant investment in developing the Saratoga on our own nickel because that's what we do commercially -- it is part of our DNA," said Navistar Defense President Archie Massicotte.

"The Saratoga is a solid design and now that we have seen the requirements of the JLTV migrate toward our vehicle capabilities, we are in a position to modify the Saratoga to fit those requirements."