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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

FAMILY OF MEDIUM TACTICAL VEHICLES (FMTV)

	Army ACAT IC Program 85,488 systems Total program cost (TY$) $17.0B Average unit cost (TY$) $199.0K* Full-rate Production FY95 *135.0K in FY96 constant dollars based on weighted average of 16 models Prime Contractor Stewart & Stevenson

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) consists of fourteen wheeled tactical vehicles based on a common truck cab, chassis, and internal components and two tactical trailers. The components are primarily non-developmental items integrated in rugged tactical configurations. The light-medium tactical vehicles (LMTV) are 2.5-ton payload capacity models consisting of cargo, air drop cargo, and van variants. The medium tactical vehicles (MTV) are 5-ton payload capacity models consisting of cargo (with and without material handling crane), air drop cargo, tractor, wrecker, dump, air drop dump, fuel tanker, and expansible van variants.

FMTV supports Joint Vision objectives: focused logistics through the transport of troops, POL and water distribution, ammunition distribution, and general cargo transport; information superiority through the provision of mobility to the new generation of automated systems, sophisticated management information systems, and communications links; and precision engagement as the prime mover for towed artillery and Patriot and as the chassis for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) (an MLRS derivative on wheeled chassis).

The FMTV TEMP was approved by DOT&E on August 17, 1991. The acquisition strategy includes an LRIP award in October 1991 for 10,843 vehicles. There was a deferred production and separate R&D effort for companion trailers (2.5- and 5-ton), an MTV tanker, and a MTV expandable van. The Army made the full-rate production decision in August 1995.

OT was conducted at Fort Bragg, NC, in three phases: Phase I, September to December 1993, was terminated for poor demonstrated reliability; Phase II, June to November 1994, was interrupted and canceled when the soldiers of the test unit deployed to Haiti; and Phase III, April to July 1995, was the basis of the DOT&E BLRIP report.

While the system proved effective and suitable, there were certain safety deficiencies, detailed in the report to Congress, that needed to be corrected before fielding. This the Army did and confirmed in an abbreviated operational assessment performed in December 1995.

OT&E activity in FY97 consisted of planning activities in support of a User Evaluation in FY99 and an IOT&E of the remaining variants in late FY00.

The operational test of the FMTV was adequate to provide the information necessary to determine its operational effectiveness and suitability. The operational testing was carried out in as realistic an operational environment as could be achieved within the constraints of available test ranges, resources, and safety. The test fleet drove more than 200,000 miles. The FMTV is operationally effective, based upon the demonstrated fleet-wide probability of mission success of 0.96.

Overall the FMTV is operationally suitable. The tested FMTV fleet demonstrated better than the required reliability and operational availability. Based on test results, the trucks required less maintenance than allowed.

A TEMP with a current acquisition strategy, which addresses the variants not included in the IOT&E and a second source or subsequent contractor, is being finalized by the Army.