Canadian Defence Review Cover Story 2015

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oshkosh DefenseLeveraging a century of experience to deLiver the most capabLe suite of miLitary trucks to be found anywhere

B y J o e t e y A t t A r i w A l A

R E P R I N T E D F R O M

Canadian Defence Review

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The Oshkosh Corporation is a U.S. based global manufacturer and marketer of access equipment, specialty vehicles and truck bodies for the primary markets of defense, concrete placement, refuse hauling, access equipment and fire & emergency.

F ounded in 1917, the Corporation now has manufacturing operations in eight U.S. states and in Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France and Romania,

as well as Mexico and Brazil as part of joint ventures. The company currently employs ap-proximately 12,000 people worldwide, and sells and services products in more than 130 countries around the globe. The company’s sales and service network consists of both direct branch offices and dealers to provide access and support in key markets.

The early days aT OshkOsh

In 1916, nearly 100 years ago, Oshkosh Cor-poration’s founders, William R. Besserdich and Bernhard A. Mosling, patented vehicle technologies designed to improve four-wheel-drive capabilities. The first, a transfer case, is responsible for transferring the power from the front axle to the rear. The second patented component improves the steering and drive capacity of the front axle. Back then road-ways weren’t what they are today – they were unpaved, rough and uneven, much like what the military might encounter in the field today.

Besserdich and Mosling didn’t envision themselves as manufacturers. They originally brought their innovative designs to several manufacturers to incorporate into their cars or trucks. We won’t name the companies, but in retrospect, Oshkosh is happy to thank them for their decision to pass on these designs. These two men - finding no home for their patents - decided to tackle the challenges on their own and went on to start up a manu-facturing business.

On 1 May 1917, the Wisconsin Duplex Auto was founded and started building its first four-wheel-drive truck, known today as “Old Betsy”. She is still graces the company’s showroom today and looks as good as ever, and they still take her out for a spin once a year! This was an important prototype vehicle for the company at the time, because it showcased the founders’ four-wheel-drive designs.

FrOm ulTra-lighT TO heavy Trucks

Fast forward 98 years and most people would probably recognize Oshkosh Corporation as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)

for purpose built trucks, however many would be surprised by the full spectrum of vehicles that the company manufactures. When con-sidering weight class, Oshkosh’s portfolio of military vehicles ranges from the ultra-agile Special Purpose All-Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV) all the way up to the formidable Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET), which is primarily used to transport main battle tanks.

Encompassed within the Oshkosh portfolio is a range of logistics vehicles that fit every weight category, as well as a family of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV). The breadth of the portfolio is further illustrated by the number of variants of each platform. For example, the FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles) platform has seven-teen variants and twenty-three configurations to support almost any conceivable logistics mission, yet provides 80 percent commonality across the fleet to minimize training and life cycle costs.

The Oshkosh vehicles most pertinent to the spectrum of Canadian military operations include: Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) Standard Military Pattern (SMP); Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT); Palletized Load System (PLS); Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR); Logistics Vehicle System Replacements (LVSR); P19-R Aircraft

Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF), Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV), as well as the previously mentioned HET, M-ATV and FMTV platforms.

OshkOsh in canadaOshkosh Defense vehicles make up the bulk of the Medium and Heavy tactical wheeled vehicles and MRAP vehicle fleets for the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, as well as 20 allies, and are therefore deployed around the world and have seen extensive combat service recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Driven by a mission to protect troops’ lives, Oshkosh Defense continues to innovate and develop new vehicles such as the Oshkosh L-ATV, which the company claims sets a new standard for off-road mobility, automotive performance and crew protection. This vehicle is a primary contender for the U.S. military’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program, which is slated to be awarded in late summer 2015. Oshkosh vehicles like L-ATV, FMTV, HET and others could one day compete for upcoming military vehicle programs in Canada.

Oshkosh Defense has a business and program office in Ottawa. Together with its sister company, concrete mixer manufacturer London Machinery, Inc. (LMI) and Oshkosh Corporation’s Canadian supplier network, the

William R. Besserdich and Bernhard A. Mosling were the original founders of Oshkosh back in 1917

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company is positioning itself as a key player in the logistics vehicle and support requirements for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Last year, Oshkosh Defense submitted their solution for the Canadian Army’s Standard Mili-tary Pattern (SMP) component of the Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) project. Future requirements targeted by Oshkosh in Canada include the Canadian Army’s Logistics Vehicle Modernization (LVM) project, and the En-hanced Recovery Capability (ERC).

msvs smP PurPOse-builT FOr canadian

requiremenTOshkosh Defense developed their purpose built Oshkosh Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) Standard Military Pattern (SMP) vehicle by leveraging decades of design, production and in-theatre sustainment experience in order to maximize performance and reliability while minimizing life cycle costs. Oshkosh’s Canadian partners for MSVS SMP include DEW Engineer-ing and Development of Ottawa, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada, and Link Suspensions of Canada - Raydan Division which has an operation in Edmonton, Alberta.

John Urias is Oshkosh Corporation’s execu-tive vice president and president of Oshkosh Defense. For this report he told CDR, “Working closely with our Canadian industry partners and a growing network of Canadian suppliers, our Oshkosh MSVS SMP offering provides superior vehicle performance, mature and proven sus-tainment capabilities across six continents, and ultimately, the best overall value for Canada.” He added, “The Oshkosh MSVS SMP family of

vehicles is the next generation of the world’s most trusted, battle-proven logistics vehicle plat-form in the field today. We’re proud to present the Canadian Government with our MSVS SMP bid, which meets or exceeds all project require-ments, and most importantly, provides Canadian soldiers with the modern logistics vehicles they need to perform their missions.”

According to the company, the Oshkosh MSVS SMP solution provides a family of ve-hicles that includes Cargo, Cargo with Material Handling Crane, Load Handling System (LHS), Cargo Mobile Repair Truck (MRT) and Gun Tractor variants with a high degree of com-ponents and parts commonality. MSVS SMP

variants have high performance drive trains, advanced suspension and braking systems for enhanced manoeuvrability; state-of-the-art armour protection system for improved safety in a vast array of threat levels and conditions; 70% off-road mission profile; and a 98% mission reliability rate. The SMP component to the MSVS project is currently being evaluated by the Government, and a contract award is expected later in 2015.

glObal inTegraTed PrOducT suPPOrT

It’s clear that Oshkosh Defense is not only dedi-cated to their customers when designing and building their vehicles, but they are also com-mitted to in-service support solutions to keep their customers’ fleets in peak operating condi-tion through their Global Integrated Product Support (GIPS) offerings. Oshkosh leverages its vast expertise with an extensive portfolio of tactical vehicles to deliver technology-based and highly customizable integration solutions that support today’s missions.

“We’ll go anywhere in the world to support our vehicles,” said Mike Ivy, Vice-President Global Integrated Product Support. “We’ve set-up service depots in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan to perform specific service functions to support our trucks in those loca-tions.” During the peak of combat operations in Afghanistan, Oshkosh had more than 400 field service representatives (FSRs) in theater to support its vehicles.

To this day, Oshkosh has many FSRs stationed throughout the United States and abroad. Oshkosh is dedicated to each customer, and delivers manuals and IETMs specific to their military standards or specific language requirements. In the case of Canada’s MSVS SMP project, contractor support is required to span a minimum of twenty years, and if history is anything to go by, it could be much longer.

Oshkosh GIPS has a very robust Logistics Support Analysis (LSA) capability, which sup-ports the development of technical manuals and maintenance plans. LSA capability pro-vides essential details such as what spare parts should be in support kits and in what locations, and helps with maintenance planning.

“Oshkosh integrated the LSA capability in its MSVS SMP solution, which is based on hundreds of thousands of miles of data from very similar types of equipment in service with the U.S. Army,” said Ivy.

GIPS has been instrumental in providing technology insertion kits to modernize the U.S. vehicle fleets, many of which hinge around

Back in 1917 Oshkosh built its first four-wheel-drive truck dubbed, “Old Betsy”

John Urias, President, Oshkosh Defense, says "MSVS SMP will provide Canadian soldiers with the right vehicle to carry out their mission."


safety and survivability improvements. For example, Oshkosh rapidly designed and de-livered more than 5,000 Underbody Improve-ment Kits (UIK) in response to an urgent need to provide increased protection levels for the M-ATV beyond the initial vehicle requirements. Oshkosh established ten operations centers in Afghanistan in less than 60 days, and installed well over 700 vehicle upgrades in theatre in that first two months of the program.

keePing The FleeT in TOP cOndiTiOn is mOre

Than halF The baTTleIt’s broadly recognized that between 60 - 80% of the life cycle cost of a vehicle system occurs after the initial vehicle procurement. Mike Ivy, vice president of Global Integrated Product Support at Oshkosh Defense, says, “We understand how critical product support

is to our customers, so we have a dedicated team, from facilities to the field, to ensure that our customers’ fleet reliability and mission readiness remains exceptionally high.” And he added, “We firmly believe that technology is the backbone to our logistics system, and un-derstand that accurate data drives exceptional logistics and support for our customers, which ultimately drives down cost.”

Oshkosh’s GIPS team delivers service and support including tailored training, traditional technical manuals and the advanced Integrated Electronic Technology Manuals (IETM). GIPS utilizes a lean supply chain for efficient, accu-rate parts support and delivery with worldwide distribution. Oshkosh has extensive in-field experience servicing vehicles, with factory-trained technicians ready to serve throughout a fleet’s useful life.

Oshkosh IETMs are beginning to take preva-lence over traditional manuals. The electronic tech manuals give troops a plug and play ca-pability. For instance, they can plug a vehicle into a database and the IETM can provide diagnostic procedures if there’s a problem with the vehicle. Also, the IETM can even com-municate what part number is required to fix the issue. IETMs are proving to be much less labor intensive to produce and maintain than paper manuals, and in many cases they are more accurate and up-to-date. IETMs have very well developed algorithms that provide diagnostic procedures in a very orderly and logical process.

virTual Task Trainer

One advanced training application that Oshkosh provides is the Virtual Task Trainer. By leveraging modern technology and the computer aided designs of Oshkosh vehicles,

the company’s in-house training experts developed the Virtual Task Trainer to guide operators through various procedures in the operation and functionality of their vehicles.

The Virtual Task Trainer can replicate Oshkosh vehicles down to the bolt, and can imitate the various roles for which they are con-figured. Through a series of training modules, operators can learn procedural processes and even call up electrical and plumbing schemat-ics. Virtual training reduces the overall cost of training, and allows soldiers to train in the virtual world to learn basic procedures and then utilize a real vehicle the final training and evaluation stages when it is required. “Osh-kosh’s Virtual Task Trainer is gaining significant traction among our customers and they are tied closely with our IETMs,” Ivy told CDR. “We’re on the cutting edge of these very important areas so we’re pleased to offer these products to our customers.”

a leader in unmanned grOund vehicle TechnOlOgy

Perhaps another little known fact about Oshkosh is that for the last ten years Oshkosh has been a leader in research and development efforts for Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) technology. Developed in response to a DARPA challenge, the TerraMax UGV technology kit integrates high-power military computers, intelligence, drive-by-wire technology and state-of-the-art distributed sensing systems to enable unmanned ground vehicles operate with no driver and limited supervision.

The TerraMax technology, which is cur-rently in testing with the U.S. Government, is modular and designed as a scalable kit that can be integrated onto any military vehicle from any OEM - without compromising the

Mike Ivy, Vice President, Global Integrated Product Support, says “We’ll go anywhere to support our vehicles.”


vehicle’s original performance, crew comfort and payload capacity. The Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology has proven capable of being seamlessly integrated into convoy operations during live-force military evaluations conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense, and has been tested in virtually every manner of tactical environment.

Depending on strategic field objectives, TerraMax is capable of performing a full range of operability: manned, tele-operated, leader-follower and fully autonomous operation. The TerraMax system can also provide advanced driver assistance and active-safety features such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and 360-degree vision en-hancement.

ugv becOmes a FOrce mulTiPlier

The system works through the use of a multi-modal sensor suite consisting of LIDAR, radar, vision and military grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). An Operator Control Unit (OCU) allows operators to create route information and manage internal operations

and autonomous systems status. Therefore, TerraMax UGV can serve as force multiplier by enabling a single operator to control multiple unmanned assets.

“The TerraMax kit enables tactical wheeled vehicles to be fully autonomous and has two primary benefits - force multiplication and improved survivability,” said John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer at Oshkosh Defense. “TerraMax can take people out of dangerous situations. Smaller operators may use this technology to enhance capability due to lack of manpower, or a large force can use this technology to reduce exposure of troops.”

Oshkosh has gone through extensive testing with the U.S. Government, and specifically with the U.S. Marine Corps and the Warfighting Lab, who continue to advance efforts to operation-alize UGV technology for a variety of missions. It’s fair to say that the capability will be used operationally, however the key question is in what roles and what force mix of manned and unmanned vehicles will be deployed.

More recently, Oshkosh demonstrated fully autonomous traditional logistics convoys and

fully autonomous route clearance exercises with its TerraMax equipped M-ATV config-ured with a mine roller at the helm. These exercises were demonstrated with a combi-nation of manned and unmanned vehicles, which look virtually identical, so most would be hard pressed to determine what vehicle is inhabited or uninhabited. It’s clear that Ter-raMax technology is mature and ready to be deployed, so one can reasonably assume it to be a next generation technology insertion kit for existing and new vehicle fleets.

lOwer liFe cycle cOsTs are builT-in

Because Oshkosh has been sustaining vehicle fleets for decades, the company appreciates the importance of delivering vehicles that can weather any storm throughout the entire life cycle. One of the most common issues, and sustainment cost drivers across all categories of equipment, is corrosion. In 2010, Oshkosh introduced a new manufacturing capability called electrocoating, commonly called E-Coat, to minimize the cost and performance-related issues resulting from corrosion.

L-ATV is a leading contender for the US military’s JLTV program


Oshkosh’s E-Coat immersion process deliv-ers superior corrosion and chemical resistance to vehicles when compared to traditional priming and painting methods. Electrocoat-ing is also proven to be more efficient, envi-ronmentally friendly and cheaper per square foot than traditional painting methods. The E-Coat process was designed specifically to give the U.S. Government 22 years of corrosion prevention for vehicles manufactured with this

process; the first of which is the Oshkosh-produced FMTV for the U.S. Army.

E-Coat has been a key driver of customer confidence in Oshkosh products and it has greatly helped in projecting lifecycle support cost. The E-Coat process delivers high-per-forming cathodic epoxy coatings, which are paired with a zinc-phosphate pre-treatment. This process provides coverage to complex parts in a uniform thickness without runs or

drips while maintaining a high-quality, resilient surface for paint of any color or finish.

The final coatings provide superior salt spray, humidity and cyclic corrosion resistance. The Oshkosh E-Coat facility is housed in a 150,000 square foot facility which is home to one of the largest electrocoating tanks in the world and to one of North America’s largest Programmable Hoist Systems, as well as a state-of-the-art indexing system, which allows processing of parts of virtually all shapes and sizes.

In the United States, the Department of Defense (DoD) is spending approximately US $20 billion a year on corrosion issues, and has therefore established a Corrosion Program Office to address this issue. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Government and other commercial product manufacturing companies are in dis-cussion with Oshkosh to explore E-Coating as a means of increasing resiliency and reducing lifecycle support cost.

As an OEM, Oshkosh has the benefit of efficiently designing this process into their products. Oshkosh’s Mike Ivy spoke to this key support issue, “Dealing with corrosion is a big expense to customers, so the E-Coat benefit we provide to customers is a huge deal in reducing the maintenance expense due to corrosion over the life of a vehicle fleet. Our goal is to build purpose built trucks that are ready and able to support our customers’ missions from

Oshkosh manufactures a wide range of utility vehicles and trucks

With GIPS (Global Integrated Product Support). Oshkosh goes anywhere to support its trucks


day one through their entire operational life of well over twenty years. The E-Coat facil-ity and infrastructure we have are sized to accommodate large military and commercial vehicles, and that sets us apart from a lot of our competition.”

While electrocoating was not a require-ment for corrosion resistance in the MSVS SMP project, if Oshkosh were to be awarded that contract, it would be able to offer the E-Coat process if the Government elected to add that protection.

creaTing a TechnOlOgical edge FOr FuTure grOund

OPeraTiOnsTo stay on the cutting edge of the industry, Oshkosh makes a concerted effort to increase reliability, longevity and capability in their ve-hicles while not sacrificing performance or survivability.

In doing so, the company undertakes many science and technology projects, and invests significant internal research and development effort, all of which has yielded enhanced capa-bilities and products like their TAK-4 indepen-dent suspension, ProPulse hybrid diesel electric powertrains, and C4 expertise. Altogether, these technologies give Oshkosh vehicles and their users a technological advantage on and off the battlefield.

mOving abOuT The baTTle Field wiTh a Tak-4

susPensiOnOshkosh has developed their own proprietary TAK-4 independent suspension system for cus-tomers who demand enhanced ride quality, mobility and maneuverability for their wheeled vehicles. The TAK-4 suspension system has been battle-tested and combat-proven on both Oshkosh vehicles and other fielded vehicles

which required improved suspension systems as realized from actual combat service. Vehicles which have integrated the TAK-4 suspension system include the PLS A1, MTVR, LVSR, Legacy MRAP, RG31A3 SOCOM MRAP, RG33 MRAP and the Cougar MRAP.

In addition to those vehicles, the Oshkosh M-ATV, which was designed and built specifi-cally to address combat conditions experienced in theater, have all been equipped with this

The Oshkosh Defense LVSR (Logistics Vehicle System Replacement) may be a candidate for future requirements

MSVS is a member of a family of battle-proven vehicles


suspension. These vehicles proved to be lighter with greater maneuverability and ride quality, while maintaining MRAP-level protection against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and other threats. Available for all sized vehicles, the scalable and fully integrated TAK-4 is de-signed to increased vehicle mobility, improve ride quality, allow for greater off-road speeds, increase load-carrying capacity, lower life-cycle costs, and ease maintenance.

The Oshkosh TAK-4 suspension system has been further developed with two additional variants to meet customer requirements, they being the: TAK-4i ‘intelligent independent sus-pension system’ and the TAK-4l ‘light indepen-dent suspension system’. The next generation TAK-4i independent suspension system is a key component of the Oshkosh L-ATV platform’s 20 inches of usable wheel travel and consistent ride quality at speeds 70 percent faster than the industry’s current gold standard.

PrOPulse delivers exPediTiOnary POwer

The Oshkosh ProPulse hybrid diesel-electric powertrain system is designed for the gamut of performance demands of vehicles in theatre. The system dramatically improves fuel economy up to 20 percent, reduces emissions, and serves as an on-board generator that can deliver up to

120 kW of military grade AC power - enough output to power an entire airfield or small hospital. The ProPulse system has already been proven effective on the Oshkosh HEMTT A3 and MTVR in Government testing, as well as on the Light Combat Tactical Vehicle (LCTV) technology demonstrator, which success-fully completed the grueling Baja 1000 off- road race.

ProPulse technology uses a modular series-hybrid arrangement to simplify the transmission of power to the wheels. It enables significant fuel economy because of a tailored engine control strategy, and life-cycle costs are dra-matically reduced because the full electric system lowers torque throughout the drive-train and regenerative braking increases brake life. The ProPulse system works by way of the vehicle’s diesel engine that powers a large electric generator, which distributes power to each axle module that is independently powered by a dedicated motor controlled from its own power converter, thereby providing redundancy.

As a reality of today’s network centric warfare, Oshkosh has also developed highly specialized in-house expertise in C4 (Command, Control, Communications and Computers) and Systems Integration. This expertise takes the form of a specialist team

with extensive experience in C4 integration engineering and design.

The Oshkosh C4 team designs customized kits by working closely with the vehicle design teams to ensure Oshkosh vehicles are optimised for efficiency in mechanical, electrical and user interfaces; this serves to reduce integration time and optimizes overall system performance for all Oshkosh Defense vehicles. The team also offers consulting for vehicle integration with third party systems, and has expertise in the complete adaptation and installation of existing kits into vehicle platforms.

In short, what all this means to the customer is that Oshkosh Defense has the capability to deliver the very latest in military vehicle technology over a variety of platforms, with long term In Service Support, all at a very cost effective price point. The company has been working with a vast array of Canadian suppli-ers for decades and can bring new economic value as a provider of military vehicles. When it’s time for Canada to select a company that can offer effective transport and protection for its troops, it would be well advised to take a very close look at what Oshkosh Defense has to offer.

Joetey Attariwala is CDR’s Senior Staff Writer

MMRS (Multi-Mission Recovery System) is a 10 x 10 wrecker with an integrated crew protection system

Canadian Defence Review Cover Story 2015

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