Oshkosh Wins $6.8 Billion Contract for Army’s Humvee Successor

Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corp. has outbid rivals AM General and Lockheed Martin to supply the U.S. Army's next-generation joint light tactical vehicle.

The initial $6.8 billion contract for about 17,000 successors to the military's Humvee is part of a 25-year, $30 billion program. AM General supplies the current Humvee, which went into service in 1985.

The replacement vehicle is expected to combine the Humvee's mobility with the superior blast-resistance of the Army's newer and more heavily armored mine-resistant ambush-protected variant. The latter vehicles were developed in the wake of the Iraq war and the emergence of anti-vehicle explosive mines.

Losing bidders have 10 days to lodge a protest with the Government Accountability Office. Bloomberg News says Lockheed, the country's largest government contractor, has indicated it may do so.