Army Tests: JLTV Can Fight Behind Enemy Lines

by Kris Osborn

For possible combat missions in 2020 to include sling-loading the vehicle beneath a Chinook helicopter to increase battlefield maneuverability, service officials said.

Current JLTV “test sites” are immersed in preparations of the vehicle for combat as key steps toward fielding the First Unit Equipped by 2019, Army officials told Warrior Maven.

Part of the ongoing testing is aimed at finalizing preparations to air-transport the vehicle behind enemy lines if need be; the JLTV is configured to travel with a CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter, C-130 fixed wing aircraft or CH-53.

The ongoing testing process is designed to ensure weapons, sensors and other key technologies are properly developed and integrated onto the next-gen combat vehicle.

Having the new vehicle able to transport beneath a cargo helicopter is essential to the Army’s Mounted Vertical Maneuver concept of operations aimed at allowing combat assets to change positions in mountainous or difficult terrain where ground passage is not possible. This kind of battlefield technology could be essential in both counterinsurgency operations such as those in Afghanistan – or major mechanized force on force combat in areas where combat environment challenge ground transport. While the JLTV is, of course, engineered for off-road travel, Mounted Vehicle Maneuver also brings the advantage of avoiding or moving through higher-threat areas; part of the concept of MTM includes an operational ability to transport infantry, supplies and weapons behind enemy lines, Army officials explain.

The Army’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a new fast-moving armored vehicle engineered to take bullets, drive over roadside bombs and withstand major enemy attacks; the vehicle was conceived and engineered as a high-tech, more survivable replacement for large portions of its fleet of Humvees.

While the Army remains focused on being needed for counterinsurgency possibilities across the globe and hybrid-type wars involving groups of terrorists armed with conventional weapons and precision-guided missiles — the service is identifying, refining and integrating technologies, such as its emerging Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with a specific mind to attacking enemies and protecting Soldiers in major-power war, service officials said.