The Cargo UGV program utilizes an Oshkosh Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) equipped with Oshkosh’s TerraMax UGV technology, resulting in an unmanned vehicle that has the potential to increase operator’s situational awareness, or reduce Warfighters’ exposure to lethal attacks. The Cargo UGV program is sponsored by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) and the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE) Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC).
“The first limited technical assessment of Oshkosh’s TerraMax technology on the MTVR involved numerous tests and successful results, including obstacle avoidance, leader-follower behavior, GPS-denied operation and water crossings,” said John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer for Oshkosh Corporation. “We are excited to be getting this technology into the hands of the Marines next week, when we train them to operate the system and gain their valuable feedback on its performance in a tactical environment.”
Accomplishments achieved during the Cargo UGV program’s first limited technical assessment included:
- Completion of more than six miles of driving without GPS input
- Successful avoidance of all obstacles
- Successful tracking of a variety of cooperative and non-cooperative vehicles
Oshkosh has advanced its TerraMax technology to deliver high performing road-following behavior, even in the absence of GPS. Oshkosh is incorporating short-range radars to provide 360-degree close-proximity obstacle detection and avoidance, which will allow a TerraMax-equipped vehicle to operate safely around pedestrians and in traffic, even in dusty conditions. Oshkosh received a contract for the Cargo UGV initiative in June 2010.
The Oshkosh TerraMax UGV technology is designed to retain a vehicle’s original payload and performance capabilities. Designed as a scalable kit, it can be integrated on vehicles, including those built by other manufacturers, as they are produced or retrofitted on existing vehicle fleets. The TerraMax technology can function in the same weather conditions and operating environments as manned vehicles, requiring minimal human interaction and operator training.
Oshkosh executives will be on hand with the TerraMax-equipped Cargo UGV at AUVSI to discuss the vehicle at booth #3230.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit 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®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, 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, visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, ™ 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 expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) procurement of products and services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government expenditures in light of U.S. defense budget pressures and an uncertain DoD tactical wheeled vehicle strategy; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during periods of global economic weakness, tight credit markets and lower municipal spending; the Company’s ability to produce vehicles under the FMTV contract at targeted margins; the duration of the ongoing global economic weakness, 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 equity market expectations; the impact on revenues and margins of the decrease in M-ATV production rates; the potential for the U.S. government to competitively bid the Company’s Army and Marine Corps contracts; risks related to work stoppages and other labor matters, especially in light of the pending contract expiration for union employees at the Company’s Oshkosh defense facilities; the consequences of financial leverage, which could limit the Company’s ability to pursue various opportunities; increasing commodity and other raw material costs, particularly in a sustained economic recovery; the ability to pass on to customers price increases to offset higher input costs; risks related to costs and charges as a result of facilities consolidation and alignment, including that anticipated cost savings may not be achieved; 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 delays arising from supplier quality or production issues; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; the potential for disruptions or cost overruns in the Company’s global enterprise resource planning system implementation; the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations; risks related to disruptions in the Company’s distribution networks; and 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. 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.
TERRAMAX™
WHEN YOU’D RATHER NOT SEND ANYONE.
OSHKOSH DEFENSE® TERRAMAX™ UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY.
Oshkosh® TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle technology integrates high-power military computers, intelligence, drive-by-wire technology and state-of-the-art distributed sensing systems to make unmanned ground vehicles run with no driver and limited supervision. TerraMax technology is available in kit form, so the original utility of the vehicle, crew comfort and payload capacity remain unhindered. And, depending on strategic field objectives, TerraMax technology is capable of a full range of operability – manned, tele-op, leader-follower and full autonomy.
- Modular system which can be integrated onto any military vehicle
- Command Zone™ computer controlled, multiplexed electronics technology operates and diagnoses all by-wire vehicle systems
- Robust, multi-modal sensor suite consisting of LIDAR, radar, vision and military grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
- Operator Control Unit (OCU) allows operators to create/load route information and observe/manage internal operations and autonomous systems status
