The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) family of vehicles offered by Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Defense has undergone successful armor testing as the U.S. Department of Defense nears its selection of competing JLTV teams.

Oshkosh and Plasan USA, which was selected to design and engineer the vehicle's armor, conducted ballistic and mine-blast testing on the team's JLTV prototype.

After the first round of testing, they found the armor passed all threshold capability and achieved several objective-level force-protection requirements. Plasan is using an advanced composite-technology armor system that maximizes crew protection while keeping weight impact minimal.

"Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh have designed a vehicle of unique performance and protection that can provide value to the warfighter today yet is flexible enough to meet the combat requirements of tomorrow," said Joe Gray Taylor, vice president of Ground Combat Systems at Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector.

"We particularly took on the challenge of armor volume, applying some of our most innovative thinking to the balance of performance, protection and payload. The results of the armor testing validate our design and prove we are ready to move smartly to the next stage of the development process."

One advantage the team has in developing its JLTV armor is the incorporation of a diesel-electric drive system, which eliminates the need for a transmission and conventional drivetrain. This allows for the creation of improved blast protection for the crew.

"The innovative use of a diesel-electric system reduces the number of vehicle components and frees up space to allow for increased survivability for the soldiers in these vehicles," said John Stoddart, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of defense. "Our work with Plasan will provide, as it has in the past, the best crew protection possible."

The armor testing was conducted at a world-class testing facility in the United States, used U.S. Army research-laboratory standards and was based on government specifications for the JLTV.