The U.S. Army has awarded Oshkosh Defense $12 million for the Revision One to Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Retrofit Work Directive pending initial deliveries of the armored vehicle next year.

The JLTV is currently in low-rate initial production, with the first vehicles to be delivered to Army units for active service in January 2019. Revision One is part of getting the JLTV's into their final configuration before delivery as part of the post-production testing process, spokesman for the Army JLTV program office Michael Klow, told UPI

The retrofitting for Revision One, announced by the Pentagon on Wednesday, will run through December 2019 and has been funded with Army fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $12 million.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a joint program between the Army and Marine Corps and is planned to be the primary frontline utility vehicle for the U.S. military, replacing the famous but venerable High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle in most combat roles.

The JLTV will be produced in a number of variants ranging from conventional troop transport, anti-tank platforms, light cargo, air defense and command and control. It is designed to provide the same level of protection against blast damage and conventional weaponry as the varieties of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles that have seen extensive use in Iraq, Afghanistan and other theaters.

Many MRAP types are too heavy to handle soggy or rough terrain, while the JLTV is intended to have mobility equal or superior to the HMMWVs it will replace in frontline service.

The JLTV has an advanced power plant that lets it function as a generator for other exterior equipment like communications, battery charging and lights, and letting personnel plug in gear like it was a conventional wall socket.

The Army has issued a $6.7 billion preliminary order for 16,901 JLTV's to be used by the Army and Marine Corps, with more orders to follow. The Marine Corps has upped its long-term requirements for the vehicle to 9,061 vehicles as of September 2018.

Other nations have expressed interest in the JLTV, with the British army seeking to acquire 2,747 vehicles in multiple variants through foreign military sales, in addition to sales for other allies being considered or pending.

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British army lifts restriction on Commonwealth recruits
London (AFP) Nov 5, 2018
Citizens of Commonwealth countries will be able to join the British armed forces even if they do not live in Britain, the government said on Monday as it struggles to fill vacancies. Britain's junior defence minister Mark Lancaster said in a statement to parliament that the previous five-year residency requirement for Commonwealth army recruits has been removed. "Applications will be accepted from all Commonwealth countries," Lancaster said in his statement, adding that the reform had been intro ... read more