A Joint Light Tactical Vehicle designed by Lockheed Martin. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin is protesting a multibillion-dollar contract awarded to a competitor last month to build the military’s successor to the Humvee.
Oshkosh Defense won a competition between Lockheed and AM General, which makes the Humvee, to build the next-generation Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, a contract that could be worth about $30 billion through 2040.
“After evaluating the data provided at our debrief, Lockheed Martin has filed a protest of the award decision on the JLTV program,” the company said in a statement. “We firmly believe we offered the most capable and affordable solution for the program. Lockheed Martin does not take protests lightly, but we are protesting to address our concerns regarding the evaluation of Lockheed Martin’s offer.”
The Pentagon program calls for Oshkosh to eventually build about 50,000 JLTVs for the Army and about 5,500 for the Marine Corps. The initial contract awards $6.7 billion for 17,000 vehicles, with production slated to begin within the next year.
Oshkosh also makes Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which became a mainstay of the Iraq War after insurgents increasingly used roadside bombs to target Humvees. The company touts its JLTV as having “MRAP-level protection from underbelly blasts,” along with better off-road handling and a tube-launched missile system, among other features.
Oshkosh’s JLTV beat out the version built by Lockheed, which pitched its vehicle as more powerful and more adaptable to different configurations.
The third competitor, Humvee manufacturer AM General, said it does not plan to protest the decision.
“We believe a protest would ultimately result in a distraction from our current growth business areas,” AM General said in a statement Tuesday.
The company does not view the JLTV as a replacement for its Humvee, the company stated. The JLTV will require additional tests before it is fielded, AM General added.
Meanwhile, the company will continue working on the Humvee for the foreseeable future.
“The Army and Marine Corps have repeatedly emphasized the need to modernize and maintain the more than 160,000 HMMWVs in their service and ensure the vehicle can meet the requirements of future missions through at least 2050,” it said.
AM General also announced Tuesday it had secured a six-year, $428 million contract to build Humvee-based ambulances for the Army.
Oshkosh employs 4,000 people and sells a variety of military, fire and emergency vehicles. Meanwhile, Lockheed is generally recognized as the world’s largest defense contractor, with $46 billion in global sales and 112,000 employees, according to company data.
Bid protests are reviewed by the General Accountability Office, which has overturned 2.4 percent of awards between 2010 and 2014, according to Bloomberg. The GAO has until Dec. 17 to make a decision, Bloomberg reported.
slavin.erik@stripes.com Twitter: @eslavin_stripes
