Israel looks set to become one of the latest operators of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), following details released during a contract modification by the US Department of Defense (DoD) of a $28.9m (NIS108m) deal for JLTV manufacture, parts, and services.

In the 30 November announcement, the DoD listed Israel under Fiscal 2023 Foreign Military Sales, along with the US Army, as procurement sources. The US Army was tasked with funding the entire $28.9m modification.

Reports in mid-November from Israel defence news outlet Israel Defense, citing Bloomberg, detailed that the US would provide JLTVs, among other equipment, to Israel.

In November Oshkosh Defense, designer and one of the manufacturers of the JLTV, announced that it had been awarded a $160m deal for additional JLTV for international allies that included Mongolia, Romania, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

Earlier that same month, Oshkosh Defense received a $208m order from the US Army for additional JLTVs, JLTV trailers, and associated kits. Since winning the initial JLTV contract in 2015, Oshkosh Defense has received orders for over 23,000 JLTVs for the US Armed Forces and “Nato, Allied and Coalition” partners, the company stated.

JLTV: competition within a competition

In Q1 this year, Oshkosh Defense were supplanted by fellow US military vehicle manufacturer AM General as the provider of JLTV A2 designs to the US Army, subsequently awarded a $4.6bn contract for the delivery of the platform.

The two companies have a recent competitive history, with Oshkosh Defense’s JLTV selected as the replacement for AM General’s original HUMVEE vehicle, which became ubiquitous across the US military.

The Oshkosh JLTV is being offered in four variants, including a utility vehicle with two doors, a general-purpose vehicle, a weapon carrier for combat requirements, and a heavy guns carrier vehicle.