AM General's Proven BRV-O JLTV Candidate Showcased at 2014 Modern Day Marine Expo

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AM General proudly exhibited its proven Blast Resistant Vehicle - Off road (BRV-O™) Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) candidate, at the 2014 Modern Day Marine Expo, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va., earlier this week.

Since announcing delivery of 22 BRV-Os ahead of schedule for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of the JLTV program 13 months ago, the vehicles have been engaged in rugged, off-road U.S. Government testing.  The vehicles have now transitioned into Limited User Testing (LUT).

"AM General has successfully completed every milestone to date throughout the JLTV program's EMD phase, including the production readiness review, manufacturing readiness assessment and design understanding review," said AM General Vice President of Business Development and Program Management, Chris Vanslager. "We are very pleased with the success of our BRV-Os to date and are looking forward to further demonstrating the significant capabilities of this innovative vehicle in the Government's Limited User Test."

BRV-O reflects more than a decade of AM General investment in research, development and testing for this next-generation vehicle – backed by 50-plus years of experience designing, producing and supporting light tactical vehicles for the U.S. military.  In fact, AM General has built more light tactical vehicles for the military than any other manufacturer on its dedicated Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) production line in Mishawaka, Indiana.  The 22 BRV-Os, delivered to the Joint Program Office and built on the same assembly line at the same time as new HMMWVs were being assembled, include a four-seat variant Combat Tactical Vehicle in three different configurations and a two-seat variant Combat Support Vehicle to support different mission roles across the full spectrum of military operations.

BRV-O's crew capsule and modular armor has successfully completed ballistic and blast testing.  Operationally, if armor is damaged in future combat situations, its separate components can be readily replaced while remaining on scene.  This will dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with higher-level repairs.

"The kitted design use large bolts rather than welds, thereby eliminating the need for special equipment, special tooling, training for special skills or delays in replacing armor," explained Vanslager.  "Our approach also makes it far less costly to make changes in armor when threats change or new armor technologies are developed."

BRV-O also uses a new lightweight, fuel efficient and high performance diesel engine developed and manufactured by AM General.  Additional features include a self-leveling suspension system; electronic braking and stability control, robust on-board power resources, and a C4ISR backbone with open-standard networked architecture and clustered super-computing power. 

Vanslager emphasized that AM General could start producing BRV-Os immediately if Marines and other U.S. military forces need them. "We don't have to create a production line because it already is operating, building advanced HMMWVs and their components for the U.S. Government and a variety of international customers." 

He added that AM General also can leverage its existing relationships with more than 1,400 LTV-related suppliers across the nation, as well as the company's own extensive parts, technical support, training, and global logistics resources. 

AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for commercial and military customers. AM General has more than five decades of experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by its employees at major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states.

Media Contact:
Jeff Adams, 703-347-2276; e-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE AM General