BAE Systems along with partners ArvinMeritor and Navistar Defense have delivered an Enhanced Protection configuration of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) prototype to the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.

"The military looks to JLTV to provide the improvements in protection, performance, and payload needed to fill the capability gaps between the HMMWV and MRAP families of vehicles," said Ann Hoholick, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles and Amphibious Systems for BAE Systems' U.S. Combat Systems.

"This vehicle is similar to the three Category A prototypes that were delivered earlier this year and has been further improved to allow for enhanced and scalable survivability without sacrificing essential expeditionary capabilities."

The team met this challenge by leveraging years of armor design and development experience, along with the innovative blast mitigation techniques that have been matured on BAE Systems' Mine Resistant Armored Protection (MRAP) family of vehicles.

"The advanced design and engineering of the Meritor ProTec Series 30 High Mobility Independent Suspension will provide advanced protection, mobility and ride quality for the JLTV platform," said Tim Burns, vice president of Defense and Specialty for ArvinMeritor.

This is the final prototype that the team will deliver during the 27-month technology development phase, which is expected to conclude in May 2011. The prototype vehicles will undergo continued government testing over the next several months to aid in the finalization of the requirements for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the program.