The US Army has placed an order with the Wisconsin-based land vehicles manufacturer Oshkosh, for more of its family of medium tactical vehicles (FMTVs) A2 and trailers.
In a new order worth $109m the Army aims to modernise its own logistical and utility fleet besides supporting its foreign military sales partners around the world.
Specific details of the agreement such as the number and type of vehicles to be acquired remains undisclosed.
Oshkosh designed the FMTV to meet a range of different mission requirements for the army’s combat support initiative. These armoured utility vehicles can be used to transport troops and supplies, and recover disabled vehicles and weapon systems, as well as for line-haul operations.
There are 17 different FMTV variants with the capacity to carry anywhere between 2.5 tonnes and 10 tonnes of cargo.
The US Army began its procurement of the A2 version in February 2018 with no cap on the number of vehicles to be built. To date GlobalData intelligence says there are at least 17,000 FMTVs in active service in its inventory.
European market
For more than two years now, spurred by the Russo-Ukrainian war, the European continent has started to mobilise its collective defence industry, and in that time the European Union (EU) has taken greater steps to present a war footing.
At the beginning of 2024, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland formed a military corridor across its respective territories to transfer cargo and personnel from the West to Nato’s eastern flank. It is important to note that Nato allies and partners may share this military infrastructure.
Of course, behind all of this the continent must have more forms of transportation for its governments and militaries to move all their cargo, equipment and personnel in a way that has not been seen since the Second World War.
As has often been the case the US defence industrial base can fill this demand, or at least – in spite of the EU’s latest ambitions to improve its own defence market attractiveness according to a new industrial strategy – try to outmatch them in this emerging market.
Should Oshkosh vehicles gain a solid European consumer base then it will also help to bolster the US military by interoperating with its own platforms and equipment.
