First Oshkosh JLTVs Arrive in Montenegro
The first batch of five Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) ordered by Montenegrin Armed Forces has arrived in Montenegro.
The arrival was announced by Predrag Bošković, the Minister of Defence of Montenegro. The delivery made Montenegro Europe’s first JLTV operator.
Još jedan projekat privodimo kraju. Ponosan na ono šta smo uradili i na #VCG. ??&?? pic.twitter.com/hX8vrYipXi
— Predrag Bošković (@pedjabosskovic) October 26, 2020
In December 2019, Oshkosh Defense received an order from the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) to supply 30 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) to Montenegro. The sale is being conducted through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
It was announced earlier that Montenegro signed a US$36.17 million contract for the procurement of 67 JLTVs of which 55 are in the basic configuration, eight in anti-tank configuration, and the remaining four in medical and command configurations.
Montenegro’s JLTVs will be fitted with Elbit Systems’ 12.7mm Remote Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS) under a $35 million contract.
The new vehicles will equip Montenegro’s NATO-declared forces: the 1st Infantry Company in Nikšić and the 2nd Infantry Company in Pljevlja.
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle ( JLTV)
Joint Light Tactical Vehicle ( JLTV) program is a United States military (specifically U.S. Army, USSOCOM, and U.S. Marine Corps) program to part-replace the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, Humvee) fleet with a family of more survivable vehicles with greater payload.
Oshkosh’s L-ATV was selected as the winner of the JLTV program in August 2015 and awarded an initial production contract for up to 16,901 JLTVs.
The JLTV family now consists of three base vehicle platforms – Utility (JLTV-UTL), Close Combat Weapons Carrier (JLTV-CCWC) and General Purpose (JLTV-GP)- and four configurations based on specific Mission Packages – M1278 Heavy Guns Carrier – General Purpose (JLTV-GP), M1279 JLTV-UTL, M1280 JLTV-GP, and M1281 JLTV-CCWC.
The U.S. Army approved the JLTV for full-rate production in June 2019 and the vehicle achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) next month. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are also fielding JLTVs albeit in much smaller quantities.
The vehicle is also ordered/in process of being procured by UK, Lithuania, Slovenia and Belgium in addition to Montenegro.