The Pentagon will spend $1.65 billion

The Pentagon will spend $1.65 billion over the next two years on 10,000 new cargo trucks for the Army.

The June 3 contract with BAE Systems includes an option to increase the worth of the deal up to $2.2 billion for a total of 20,000, according to a BAE Systems release.

BAE will supply the Army with a new line of Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles with the Long Term Armor Strategy. The LTAS version features a removable armor package that can be put on or taken off based on the threat, according to the release.

Today’s FMTVs operating in Iraq and Afghanistan have their armor plating permanently attached.

Production of the LTAS cargo vehicles will be performed at BAE Systems’ facility in Sealy, Texas, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Deliveries of the initial $1.65 billion contract are expected to be complete by February 2010, the release states.

If the Army decides to increase the contract to $2.2 billion, those additional 10,000 trucks would be delivered by November 2010, the release states.

The Army currently has about 48,000 FMTV trucks and trailers in service.

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