Oshkosh awarded $232.7M to recapitalize Army's heavy vehicles

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Oshkosh Defense was awarded a $232.7 million contract to recapitalize several hundred Army heavy tactical vehicles.

The Wisconsin-based company will work on 407 heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks, or HEMTT, and palletized load system, or PLS, trucks as well as manufacture 601 new PLS trailers, according to a news release.

The recapitalization process involves stripping a vehicle to the frame rails and rebuilding it to the newest configurations, returning to the fleet a refurbished vehicle with the same technology, safety features and life cycle cost of a brand new one, Oshkosh said.

Since 1995, Oshkosh has been performing recapitalization services on these vehicles. The HEMTTs have been in the Army's fleet since 1981 and the PLS since 1990.

Oshkosh has recapitalized more than 12,500 HEMTTs and 3,000 PLS trucks.

"As the backbone of the U.S. Army's resupply and distribution system, the HEMTT and PLS vehicles are heavily relied on to carry munitions and other critical supplies across all types of terrains and in all types of environments," said Pat Williams, vice President and general manager of U.S. Army and Marine Corps Programs for Oshkosh Defense.

"As the original equipment manufacturer, we know these vehicles inside and out, and we are in the best position to quickly return them to field operations in like-new condition," Williams said.