The huge increase in the purchase price for the new Oshkosh JLTV is because it has been designed to be more “survivable” and resistant to land mines, grenades missiles and improvised explosives. Oshkosh may still have to fend off competition.

Scott Davis, the Army’s executive officer for the program, said the big winners are the soldiers and Marines who will gain a vehicle that offers a better balance of protection, payload and performance.

Leaders in Oshkosh say a lucrative military contract will have a ripple effect across Wisconsin. The $6.7 billion contract is expected to support thousands of jobs. The JLTVs will have tougher armor than Humvees but move like a sports utility vehicle while carrying heavy load. Almost 49,100 would be built for the Army with 5,500 going to the Marines.

Szews said Oshkosh prided itself on meeting its commitments, and was ready to start building the new trucks for the Army and Marine Corps, on its integrated line, which cranks out a mixture of 20 firetrucks, cement mixers and military vehicles each day. The company plans to build the vehicle in Oshkosh, with deliveries beginning in 10 months.

Oshkosh now has to wait for both AM General and Lockheed to appeal the decision to the Pentagon before being allowed to go ahead with full-scale production.

“Developing our Oshkosh JLTV solution has been an incredible journey”, said Szews. “It means that we will have a stable revenue base for our company….”

The Army said Tuesday that Oshkosh beat AM General, the privately held maker of the original Humvees, and a team made up of Lockheed Martin Corp and Britain’s BAE Systems Plc to win a deal that could eventually be worth $30 billion for 55,000 vehicles. It does all of that while being able to get troops in and out of combat.

The contact will mean business for companies that supply Oshkosh Corp. and the economic benefits will ripple across the Oshkosh area for years, said Rob Kleman of the Oshkosh Area Chamber of Commerce.