A major defense company, with a manufacturing line in the Lehigh Valley, has been awarded a contract for prototype vehicles. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
Mack Defense a subsidiary of Mack Trucks, said it has received a contract to design, build, and deliver several vehicles for the prototype and testing phase of the U.S. Army’s Common Tactical Truck program.
According to a release, Mack Defense will provide three prototype vehicles to the Army by January 2024, which will be tested in situations to evaluate performance, efficiency, and durability.
Company representatives say the vehicles will include an on-road tractor, an off-road tractor and a load-handling system truck, which are each based off modified versions of Mack’s commercial-based vehicle platforms and technologies.
The Army plans to test and evaluate prototypes to determine the final requirements for the next generation of trucks to eventually modernize and replace its fleet of around 35,000 heavy tactical trucks.
The company said it currently works on two major defense programs, the scopes of which align with the CTT program.
The first of these defense programs is the M917A3 heavy duty dump truck for the U.S. Army. Mack Defense was awarded a contract for the HDT in 2018, with serial production beginning in 2021.
The dump truck’s production line is located at the Mack Experience Center in Allentown. The company received a $6.5 million investment to create a dedicated HDT line at the facility.
Mack Defense is also involved in the Canadian Medium Support Vehicle System – Standard Military Pattern program for the Canadian military. This vehicle is based on a Renault Kerax 8x8 truck, and over 1,500 vehicles were delivered between June 2015 and June 2020.
Mack Defense said once the prototypes are evaluated and tested in 2025, the Army is expected to launch a separate competition leading to production contracts to modernize the heavy tactical vehicle fleet.
The Army’s initial production contract could be over 7,000 trucks valued at more than $5.1 billion.
(Original air-date: 2/3/23)
