The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which is intended to replace many of the US Army’s Humvees, is equipped with the TAK-4 intelligent independent suspension system that allows it to manoeuvre quickly over rough terrain. For 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, that kind of mobility can help these new vehicles operate with its fleet of M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
“The ability for a Humvee to keep up with a tank, you might think it’s easy,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Leimer, the brigade’s senior enlisted leader. “But the terrain a tank can cover and the terrain a Bradley can cover is not the terrain a Humvee can cover.”
In January, the brigade began to train operators and maintainers on the first shipment of JLTVs a few months after its nine-month rotation on the Korean Peninsula. The unit is set to receive about 350 JLTVs, which soldiers will then use for training before an upcoming deployment.
The initial contract awarded in 2015 calls for the production of nearly 17,000 JLTVs at a cost of about $250,000 each, excluding add-on armor and other kits. Currently JLTVs have two- and four-seater variants and four mission package configurations: general purpose, heavy guns carrier, close combat weapons carrier and a utility vehicle.
Future plans are to procure over 49,000 JLTVs for the Army and about 9,000 for the Marine Corps by the mid-2030s, as part of a joint acquisition effort.
The JLTV offers many creature comforts not typically seen in other tactical vehicles. Besides its smooth ride and cup holders, comforts include extra legroom, electronic mirrors, map reading lights and climate control for the rear seats. Indentations in the seats also allow for added comfort for those wearing personal water carriers on their backs.
Similar to a touchscreen computer found in a newer car, a driver’s smart display unit on the center console monitors the vehicle’s fluids, filters, tire air pressure and even has a rearview camera.
Another unique feature is the electronic adjustable height suspension, which can lower the vehicle to 8in from its exhaust to the ground for transport purposes. The vehicle can also be raised up to 30in when driven over difficult terrain, such as a waterway crossing.
Due to its lighter weight than most tactical vehicles, the JLTV can even be sling loaded by a CH-47 Chinook, unlike a similar vehicle, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle, or M-ATV.
The suspension system can also lower the JLTV on one end, giving soldiers another option in combat. During a reconnaissance mission, for instance, the vehicle could be hidden behind a berm and then elevated on one or both sides to allow the gunner to see over.
The JLTV have a maximum speed of 75 mph and has greater protection and payload capacity than the Humvee. It is also one-third lighter with a similar payload to that of the M-ATV, as well as the first vehicle to be purpose-built for battlefield networks.
Plans still call for incorporating the JLTV alongside the Humvee, which has been around since the early 1980s. In two or three years, the JLTV is slated to be fielded to two infantry brigade combat teams to see how both vehicles can operate together.
