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u The AM General BRV-O features the company's Semi-Active Suspension with an electronically controlled damping system. The Army and Marines will spend up to 14 months evaluating each of the three vehicles, and ultimately select one single JLTV design by 2015. selects the Lockheed solution, the vehicles enter full-scale production. "We've always kept in mind we're not in this for 22 trucks, we're in this for 50,000 trucks," Hasse says. Large volume truck production is a way of life for AM General, the third JLTV competitor. For the past three decades, the company has built approximately 300,000 Humvees in various confgurations. The company is competing for the JLTV contract with its Blast ResistantVehicle Of road (BRV-O) with a "SemiActive Suspension" (SAS), which utilizes an autonomous electronically controlled fuid-strut damping system. SAS allows the BRV-O vehicle to instantly respond to shifting terrain and load conditions. Throughout 300,000 miles of durability tests, the system had zero failures, explains Chris Vanslager, AM General vice president for business development and program management. The system works to react promptly to changing terrain to stabilize the vehicle during corners and braking, Vanslager adds. A self-leveling feature on side slopes and grades makes for easier ingress/egress and helps improve weapon sighting. In June, all three JLTV designs participated in the military's "severe of-road track" (SORT) demonstration at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, allowing service leaders and members of Congress the opportunity to witness these new vehicles maneuver of-road obstacles including steep inclines/declines, log climbs, gravel pits and hairpin turns. All three JLTVs successfully completed the course, proving each suspension capable over rugged terrain. The Army and Marines will spend up to 14 months evaluating each of the three vehicles, and ultimately select one single JLTV design by 2015. The current plan—subject to change with the whims of government spending priorities—is for the Army to buy 49,909 JLTVs by 2040 and the Marines to buy 5,500 by 2021. No matter which company wins, the ride will be a bit smoother for future troops rolling over rough terrain thanks to the more robust suspensions in all three JLTV oferings. 43