When Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) lost its bid to build the Army’s joint light tactical vehicle in August 2015, it readied itself for a fight to wrestle it back from the winner, Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense LLC.
After filing an initial protest with the Government Accountability Office and then taking the case to the Court of Federal Claims, Lockheed eventually withdrew and conceded the loss in February 2016. But Lockheed did come away with a consolation prize — its work on the JLTV development program paved the way for it to build trucks for another, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Lockheed’s precision-fires portfolio mostly serves the Army, U.S. Marine Corps and several international customers, manufacturing surface-to-surface missiles as well as the launch systems and the vehicle outfitted with the hardware. With the JLTV experience under its belt, Lockheed has shifted from buying the HIMARS vehicles from a manufacturer like BAE Systems…
