Government okays JLTV production facility

Lockheed Martin Team's production facility in Arkansas for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles has gotten a thumbs-up from the U.S. government.

Approval for the plant came as a result of a government Production Readiness Review, a mandated and detailed evaluation of Lockheed Martin's JLTV production planning and readiness in terms of schedule, performance, cost and other criteria.

"Our Camden facility is ready for production," said Scott Greene, vice president of ground vehicles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "To fully prove that point, we assembled a JLTV on our Camden production line during the PRR event, proving conclusively that the line and facility are ready for vehicle assembly right now."

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a U.S. Army and Marine Corps program to replace Humvees. Lockheed Martin, together with BAE Systems, is vying for the contract to build the vehicles.

The contract will be awarded next year.

As part of the process, Lockheed and other competitors – AMC General and Oshkosh Defense -- were required to each build 22 vehicles for government testing.

During the Production Readiness Review, Lockheed Martin's team assembled a JLTV on the production line to underline its readiness to produce the vehicles.