The Request for Proposals for the next phase of the US Army/Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program was released last week.
It sets out per-vehicle cost goals of between US$230,000 and US$270,000 with US$65 000, no more, for an additional armour kit.
Three competitors will receive contracts for the 32-month engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase to be awarded in May.
According to the current schedule, the Army plans to select the preferred teams for the Engineering and manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, by May 2012 with contract award to the winner expected by 2015.
The JLTV program office this week issued an update to its draft request for proposals stating that the Army and Marines are now willing to pay US$65 million to each potential contractor for the vehicle's engineering and manufacturing design phase, up from the previously planned US$52 million.
The US$13 million increase comes as leaders from across the defense industry plan to sit down for an unprecedented one-on-one meeting on JLTV with Army Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli and Marine Corps Assistant Commandant General Joseph Dunford.
According to the RFP the Army is looking for 20,750 vehicles across the family of six variants, which include the Utility/Shelter Carrier (JLTV-UTL), two seat; Close Combat Weapons Carrier (JLTV-CCWC), four seat; General Purpose (JLTV-GP), four seat; Special Purpose (JLTV-SP); Heavy Guns Carrier (JLTV-HGC); and the Command and Control on the Move (JLTV-C2OTM).
Three teams have already built JLTV prototypes and a fourth, Oskosh Defense, has said it also will submit a bid for the EMD phase.
The AM General-General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin-BAE Armor Holdings and Navistar Defense-Northrop Grumman teams are seen as front-runners.
As far as a build schedule goes, once the final contract is awarded, the draft calls for 450 vehicles in the first year of production, 1,200 vehicles in the second year of production and 2,300 vehicles in the third year of production, with “a steady-state production rate of 3,360 JLTVs per year for the next 5 years.”