Oshkosh
Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), has
integrated its TerraMax®
unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology onto an Oshkosh MRAP
All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV)
to demonstrate capabilities for route-clearance missions. TerraMax UGV
technology has the potential to reduce troops’ exposure to threats, such
as improvised explosive devices (IED) in route-clearance missions, as
well as optimize the number of troops needed for such operations.
Oshkosh Defense M-ATV equipped with TerraMax UGV technology and mine roller leads convoy of Oshkosh MTVRs (Photo: Business Wire)
Oshkosh is attending the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2014 in Orlando, Fla. beginning
today through May 15, to demonstrate how TerraMax UGV technology can
benefit route clearance and other missions.
“The clearance of threats like IEDs, mines and unexploded munitions pose
challenges that global military forces have faced since World War II,
and are expected to continue long after Afghanistan,” said John Urias,
president of Oshkosh Defense. “Our TerraMax UGV technology can bring
autonomous capabilities to existing manned vehicle platforms, like the
M-ATV, to remove troops from targeted routes and provide greater
standoff distance from explosive threats. It also has
force-multiplication benefits with one operator controlling several
vehicles, so logistics operations can be successfully completed with
fewer troops.”
Equipped on the M-ATV, as well as other heavy and medium tactical
wheeled vehicles, TerraMax UGV technology enables one or multiple
vehicles in a route clearance convoy to operate autonomously, resulting
in fewer troops exposed to threats.
The TerraMax UGV system can be enhanced to intelligently incorporate
counter-IED (C-IED) payloads such as ground-penetrating radar and mine
rollers. The TerraMax operator control unit (OCU) also can provide
over-the-horizon situational awareness to accompanying manned vehicles.
The system is highly interoperable, using a widely adopted,
non-proprietary open architecture messaging standard that enables
modularity and easy integration of new subsystems.
Oshkosh is conducting this work independently and in parallel to efforts
within the U.S. Marine Corps and Army to identify opportunities for
using UGVs for route-reconnaissance and route-clearance missions. The
effort expands on Oshkosh’s efforts with the U.S. Office of Naval
Research Cargo UGV project, which seeks to bring UGV capabilities to
logistics convoy missions to help reduce troops’ exposure to threats.
TerraMax UGV Technology
Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology is designed as a modular appliqué kit
that can be tightly integrated into modern production vehicles or
retrofitted onto legacy platforms. Vehicles equipped with the TerraMax
UGV technology can seamlessly collaborate with manned vehicles to carry
out missions at full operational tempo. TerraMax UGVs function
autonomously across varying terrains and in all weather conditions, day
or night—and original vehicle payload and performance are retained.
Developed to support rapid deployment, troops can be trained to oversee
TerraMax-equipped vehicles in only a few days to take advantage of an
unsurpassed standoff and advance situational awareness capability. The
user-friendly operator interface meets the unique demands of troops in
the field, enabling warfighters to focus on mission success without
undue distraction, and empowering a single operator to supervise
multiple autonomous vehicles. Oshkosh is teamed with the National
Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) of Carnegie Mellon University for
perception system and autonomy software development.
Oshkosh also is transitioning technologies from the TerraMax UGV system
to provide active-safety features for the manned operation of vehicle
fleets, including electronic stability control, forward collision
warning, adaptive cruise control and electric power-assist steering.
Oshkosh representatives will be available to discuss Oshkosh TerraMax
UGV technology and the company’s broad portfolio of vehicles,
technologies and services at AUVSI booth #1022.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and
life cycle sustainment services. For more than 90 years, Oshkosh has
been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by
offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected
military vehicles to support our customers’ missions. In addition,
Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4®
independent suspension systems, TerraMax® unmanned ground
vehicle solutions, Command Zone™ integrated control and
diagnostics system, and ProPulse® diesel electric and
on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a
technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is
backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of
sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and
performance.
To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of
a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire &
emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation
manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of
Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®,
Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™, CON-E-CO®, London®
and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses
where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and
long-term value are paramount. For more information, please visit to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, TM All brand names referred to in this news release are
trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than
statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements
regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy,
targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt
levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future
operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press
release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,”
“anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative
thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally
intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to
risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are
beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These factors include the cyclical nature of the Company’s
access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, which are
particularly impacted by the pace of U.S. and European economic
recoveries; the strength of emerging market growth and projected
adoption rate of work at height machinery; the expected level and timing
of DoD and international defense customer procurement of products and
services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government
expenditures in light of U.S. defense budget pressures, sequestration
and an uncertain DoD tactical wheeled vehicle strategy, including the
Company’s ability to successfully manage the cost reductions required as
a result of lower customer orders in the defense segment; the Company’s
ability to win a U.S. Joint Light Tactical Vehicle production contract
award; the Company’s ability to increase prices to raise margins or
offset higher input costs; increasing commodity and other raw material
costs, particularly in a sustained economic recovery; risks related to
facilities consolidation and alignment, including the amounts of related
costs and charges and that anticipated cost savings may not be achieved;
the duration of the ongoing global economic uncertainty, which could
lead to additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s
intangible assets and/or a slower recovery in the Company’s cyclical
businesses than Company or equity market expectations; risks related to
the collectability of receivables, particularly for those businesses
with exposure to construction markets; the cost of any warranty
campaigns related to the Company’s products; risks related to production
or shipment delays arising from quality or production issues; risks
associated with international operations and sales, including foreign
currency fluctuations and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act; the Company’s ability to comply with complex laws and regulations
applicable to U.S. government contractors; the impact of severe weather
or natural disasters that may affect either the Company, the Company’s
suppliers or its customers; the impact of cyber security risk and costs
of defending against, mitigating and responding to a data security
breach; and risks related to the Company’s ability to successfully
execute on its strategic road map and meet its long-term financial
goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is
contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no
obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information
contained in this press release. Investors should be aware that the
Company may not update such information until the Company’s next
quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140513005550/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2014