Oshkosh Defense has been tapped by the U.S. Army to build Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for itself and the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Army order is for an initial 657 light armored vehicles, 2,977 installed kits and related support. The contract is valued at more than $243 million.

The JLTV program contract calls for Oshkosh to deliver for a total of nearly 17,000 vehicles, as well as kits and services, over an eight-year period.

"The JLTV program is providing our soldiers and Marines with the world's most capable light tactical vehicle," said Wilson R. Jones, Oshkosh Corporation president and chief executive officer. "The Oshkosh JLTV will be the platform our troops depend on to keep them safe as they perform future military operations outside-the-wire."

The JLTV is to replace a large number of the legacy up-armored HMMWV, aka Humvee, fleet.

The Oshkosh JLTV features the Oshkosh Core1080 crew protection system, and the Oshkosh TAK-4i intelligent independent suspension system. There are two variants: a two-seat and a four-seat vehicle. The two-seat model is a utility vehicle with one base vehicle platform. The four-seat variant has two base vehicle platforms, General Purpose and the Close Combat Weapons Carrier.

The new vehicles are one-third smaller and one-third lighter than the Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle, have an off-road speed that is 70 percent faster than the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle, and feature a modular design that can be outfitted for a full range of missions.