Army Acquisition: Commercial Components Used Extensively in Tactical Trucks

摘要

This report reviews the Army's use of commercial technology in tactical trucks.Specifically, the commercial technology used in the production of the Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), the Heavy Equipment Transporter System (HETS), and the line haul and the Light Equipment Transporter (LET) tractor trucks. The objectives were to determine (1) whether the Army could meet its tactical truck requirements through purchasing purely commercial or 'off-the-shelf' trucks; (2) if this was not feasible, what modifications contractors had to make to existing commercial trucks or what actions contractors had to take to meet the Army's requirements; and (3) the Army's requirements that limit the use of off-the-shelf commercial trucks. Key operational requirements prevent the Army from buying pure commercial or off-the-shelf trucks to meet its tactical truck needs. However, the Army is making extensive use of commercial technology and commercial components in the tactical trucks it buys. For the four tactical truck systems reviewed, the manufacturers of these systems used commercial trucks as baselines for their systems and generally used commercial manufacturing practices and components to produce tactical trucks. In addition to such operational requirements as tactical mobility, deployability and transportability, and survivability, Department of Defense (DOD) standards and Army policies place demands upon contractors beyond what are found in the commercial marketplace. For example, contractors must undergo rigorous testing procedures, develop more detailed technical manuals, use standard parts already in the Army's inventory system, and adopt military quality standards.