Army awards $6.7 billion contract for tactical vehicle to Wisconsin's Oshkosh Defense

Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corp. has won a major contract to build a new combat vehicle to replace a large share of the military's Humvee troop carriers.

The Department of Defense on Tuesday awarded the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract to Oshkosh Defense. The $6.7 billion contract is expected to support thousands of jobs.

The JLTV would replace about 55,000 Humvees by 2040. Around 49,000 would be built for the Army with the rest going to the Marines. It's designed to provide more protection against roadside bombs and mines than Humvees without being as big as another military vehicle produced by Oshkosh, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP.

Winning the contract is a boost for Oshkosh Defense, which eliminated about 760 jobs last summer because of declining defense spending.