Oshkosh partners with MSC.Software for U.S. Army Future Tactical Truck concepts

Dec 11, 2003 12:00 PM

Oshkosh Truck Corporation has selected MSC.Software to provide modeling and simulation services for the first phase of the US Army Future Tactical Truck System (FTTS) program.

The Future Tactical Truck System Program, undertaken by the National Automotive Center (NAC), is an effort to design and develop a multi-capable, modular vehicle designed specifically to handle multi-modal cargo operations and take advantage of new hybrid propulsion technologies.

"The US Army and government agencies have the same product development challenges as the private sector; they must design and develop their products as quickly and cost efficiently as possible. Modeling and Simulation is critical to reaching aggressive reliability, weight and performance requirements," said Frank Perna CEO MSC.Software. "Our work with our FTTS program partners is an excellent example of the ways in which simulation and virtual product development can dramatically reduce the time and costs of product development while ensuring that important performance requirements are determined and met. We look forward to successful completion of the first phase of this project and hope to continue to be a trusted advisor to the FTTS program in the coming years."

In an effort to consolidate its various lines of tactical trucks into a single family of vehicles, TACOM and the US Army are evaluating the FTTS program to develop a new fleet of advanced, modular vehicles that can be reconfigured for an assortment of combat missions.

Under the current specifications, the Army will develop a multi-mode modular cargo vehicle, which will have two variants: a larger "maneuver sustainment" truck that will replace the current heavy and medium fleets, and a "utility" version that is the equivalent of a light truck. The initial stages of the FTTS research and development effort will rely almost entirely on modeling and simulation in order to reduce program risk and development costs. The data and results generated by phase one will be used to support the competitive award for the prototype development phase of the program. Award of a production contract will follow successful completion of prototype testing and evaluation.

The initial phase of the FTTS program, called the Jump Start Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD), is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed in early 2004.