Lithuania looks set to buy almost 200 newest Oshkosh Defense-built Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), according to Minister of Defense, Raimundas Karoblis.
Speaking at the meeting of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense which considered next year’s defense budget, Raimundas Karoblis said that Lithuania plans to buy almost 200 JLTVs for its armed forces as early as November.
“The signing of the contract will take place […] next month,” Karoblis said.
It will be the second-biggest acquisition in the history of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense, which stands at EUR149 million ($166 million).
On 27 August, the U.S. State Department approved the possible Foreign Military Sale of newest JLTVs to Lithuania for an estimated $170.8 million.
Furthermore, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported that the Lithuania government requested 500 JLTVs in the M1278A1 heavy gun carrier configuration, as well as unspecified quantities of M153 Common Remote Weapon Stations (CROWS), MK-93 weapons mounts, and M2 12.7×99 mm heavy machine guns.
The JLTV family of vehicles is designed to restore payload and performance that were traded from light tactical vehicles to add protection in recent conflict. JLTVs give service members more options in a protected mobility solution that is also the first vehicle purpose-built for modern battlefield networks.
The JLTV Family of Vehicles comes in different variants with multiple mission package configurations, all providing protected, sustained, networked mobility that balances payload, performance and protection across the full range of military operations.
The JLTV has an electronic adjustable height suspension that allows the vehicle to ‘squat’ to fit in restricted height spaces on amphibious warfare ships and the ability to be raised to traverse difficult terrain while carrying armor and payload.
JLTV’s electronic adjustable height suspension that allows the vehicle to ‘squat’ to fit pic.twitter.com/2U3qLQDdr3
— Dylan Malyasov (@DylanMalyasov) November 3, 2019
The JLTV also has comparable off-road performance, acceleration and speed to the Humvee and is air transportable connecting externally via helicopter or riding internally via cargo plane.
The Oshkosh Defense’s website said the JLTV is the first vehicle purpose-built for battlefield communications networks and provides increased readiness for 21st century warfare.
