Detroit's automakers have a long and established history of providing equipment to the US military. They were the Arsenal of Democracy during World War II, and while their presence in the defense industry of today is less visible, it's still a big thing. Case in point? The Oshkosh JLTV, the vehicle selected to replace the venerable Humvee.
The new truck will get about the battlefields of tomorrow with the help of the Duramax V8 diesel, Automotive News reports. A product of General Motors' Powertrain Division, the 6.6-liter Duramax isn't strictly the same engine found in the heavy duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra fullsize pickup trucks. In that application, it produces 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque. Somehow, we're betting the mil-spec engine will be ever so slightly more powerful.
"It's a great engine. We've sold about 1.5 million of them in our heavy duty pickups. We're very proud of the Duramax V8," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Autoblog.
And of course, GM should be proud. If Oshkosh's JLTV gets the green light for mass production in 2018, that could mean the General is supplying some 55,000 of its Moraine, OH-produced engines to get the Army and Marine Corps around. And even should things fail to pan out, the initial $6.7-billion Oshkosh contract will still result in around 17,000 vehicles being produced as part of low-rate initial production and full-rate production.
This is far from GM's first rodeo with the Pentagon's everyday troop mover. The company supplied the engines for the original Humvee, and famously sold a civilian model at the urging of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Somehow, though, we don't see a civilian version of the JLTV happening, no matter how badly the Governator might want one.
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The new truck will get about the battlefields of tomorrow with the help of the Duramax V8 diesel, Automotive News reports. A product of General Motors' Powertrain Division, the 6.6-liter Duramax isn't strictly the same engine found in the heavy duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra fullsize pickup trucks. In that application, it produces 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque. Somehow, we're betting the mil-spec engine will be ever so slightly more powerful.
"It's a great engine. We've sold about 1.5 million of them in our heavy duty pickups. We're very proud of the Duramax V8," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Autoblog.
And of course, GM should be proud. If Oshkosh's JLTV gets the green light for mass production in 2018, that could mean the General is supplying some 55,000 of its Moraine, OH-produced engines to get the Army and Marine Corps around. And even should things fail to pan out, the initial $6.7-billion Oshkosh contract will still result in around 17,000 vehicles being produced as part of low-rate initial production and full-rate production.
This is far from GM's first rodeo with the Pentagon's everyday troop mover. The company supplied the engines for the original Humvee, and famously sold a civilian model at the urging of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Somehow, though, we don't see a civilian version of the JLTV happening, no matter how badly the Governator might want one.
Related Video:
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