The U.S. military has a new ride.
Its old workhorse, the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle — more commonly known as the Humvee— is showing its age. The Humvee was originally designed to ferry troops around the battlefield in Europe against the Soviet Union. But during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Humvee was pushed to the sidelines in favor of vehicles that could better survive roadside bombs.
The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, has now taken on the mantle of being the new frontline tactical vehicle favored by the U.S. military.
“The JLTV family of vehicles was designed to restore payload and performance capabilities that were traded from previous light tactical vehicles for added protection in recent conflicts — giving commanders an improved protected mobility solution and the first vehicle purpose-built for modern battlefield networks,” Michael Sprang, the program manager for the JLTV program at the U.S. Army, wrote in an email to CNBC.
The vehicle is manufactured by Oshkosh Defense.
“The JLTV combines the protection of the MRAP, which was so critical in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the agility of a Humvee,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., said in an interview with CNBC. “I’ve driven it. With the suspension system, you could be drinking a cup of coffee, going over massive bumps and not spill. It’s a critical modernization priority both for the Army and the Marine Corps.”
Watch the video above to find out more about the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and how the U.S. military plans to use the new vehicle to fight future ground battles.
