The US Marine Corps plans to recapitalise between 3,400 and 4,000 of its humvees to bridge the gap between the current fleet and the increasingly distant Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, according to a service official.
Brigadier General Gregg Sturdevant, assistant deputy commandant for programs and resources, told reporters at a Credit Suisse conference on March 2 that the service has identified a ballpark figure for how many humvees it must recapitalise to last until JLTV comes online.
“Right now what we we’re looking at was 3,500 [to] 4,000 would probably be used to do the bridge piece, and we’ve got some money set aside that will address that,” he said.
“We’ll figure out if it’s more or less.”
Top Marine Corps officials have said they are no longer sure when or if the Marines will be able to begin purchasing the JLTV given stringent weight requirements and the high price tag, which was most recently estimated at US$320,000 each.
Australia has an interest in the JLTV program under Land 121 Ph 4, having contributed funds to the previous development phases of the program.
A decision on whether to continue this funding support will be made mid-year.