Heavy all-terrain chassis 10×10 pcs. II

In over a quarter of a century, Oshkosh has delivered just a few thousand 10x10 trucks to the US military, many times more than all other manufacturers combined for users around the world. In the photo, the LVRS family vehicle leaves the cargo deck of the LCAC landing hovercraft.

In the second part of the article, we continue the review of the western heavy all-terrain multi-axle chassis in a 10 × 10 drive system. This time we will talk about the designs of the American company Oshkosh Defense, namely the models of the PLS, LVSR and MMRS series.

The military division of the American corporation Oshkosh - Oshkosh Defense - has the most experience in the industry in the design and construction of multi-axle off-road trucks. It's just that she delivered many times more than all the competitors combined. For several decades, the company has been supplying them to its largest recipient, the US Armed Forces, which use hundreds and even thousands of pieces not only as specialized equipment, but also as conventional equipment for broadly understood logistical support.

PLS

In 1993, Oshkosh Defense began transferring the first PLS (Palletized Load System) vehicles to the US Army. PLS is a delivery system within the military logistics network, consisting of a carrier with an integrated loading and unloading system, a trailer and swap cargo bodies. The vehicle is a 5-axle 10×10 HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck) variant as standard.

PLS is available in two main configurations - M1074 and M1075. The M1074 has a hydraulic hooklift loading system supporting NATO standard loading platforms, fully interchangeable between PLS and HEMTT-LHS, compatible with comparable systems in the UK, German and French militaries. The system was intended to support advanced artillery support units operating on the front line or in direct contact with it (155-mm howitzer armat M109, M270 MLRS field missile system). The M1075 is used in conjunction with the M1076 trailer and does not have a loading crane. Both types of tactically highly mobile vehicles are primarily intended for the transportation of various cargoes over long distances, delivery at the operational, tactical and strategic levels, and other tasks. The PLS uses many variants of standard loading docks. Standard, without sides, used to transport pallets of ammunition. The machines can also accept unified containers, containers, tank containers and modules with engineering equipment. All of them can be replaced extremely quickly thanks to the fully modular solution. For example, the so-called PLS engineering mission modules include: M4 - bitumen distribution module, M5 - mobile concrete mixer module, M6 - dump truck. They are supplemented, including fuel modules, including a field fuel dispenser or a water dispenser.

The heavy-duty vehicle itself has a carrying capacity of 16 kg. A trailer specially designed for the transport of pallets or containers, including those transported by means of a hook device from a vehicle, can also take a load of the same weight. The driver controls the operation of the loading device without leaving the cab - this applies to all operations, including the full cycle of the device operation - placing and removing the platform / container from the vehicle and moving platforms and containers on the ground. Loading and unloading a car takes about 500 seconds, and a complete set with a trailer takes more than two minutes.

As standard, the cabin is double, short, for a day, strongly pushed forward and lowered. You can install external modular armor on it. It has an emergency hatch on the roof with a turntable up to km.

The PLS system vehicles are equipped with a Detroit Diesel 8V92TA diesel engine with a maximum power output of 368 kW/500 km. Combined with an automatic transmission, permanent all-axle drive, central tire inflation and a single tire on them, it ensures that even when fully loaded it can tackle almost any terrain and keep up with tracked vehicles, for which the PLS was designed to support . Vehicles can be moved over long distances using C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft.

The PLS has been operated in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. His options are:

• M1120 HEMTT LHS – M977 8×8 truck with hook loading system used in PLS. She enlisted in the US Army in 2002. This system is based on the same transport platforms as the PLS and can be coupled with M1076 trailers;
• The PLS A1 is the latest deeply upgraded version of the original off-road truck. Visually, they are almost identical, but this version has a slightly larger armored cab and a more powerful engine - a turbocharged Caterpillar C15 ACERT, developing a maximum power of 441,6 kW / 600 hp. The US Army has ordered a large batch of modified M1074A1 and M1075A1.

The Oshkosh Defense A1 M1075A1 Palletized Load System (PLS), like its predecessor, is designed to carry ammunition and other supplies and features improved mission capabilities in all climatic and terrain conditions, including on the front line. With this arrangement, PLS forms the backbone of the logistics supply and distribution system, ensuring high efficiency and productivity in loading, transporting and unloading, including platforms and containers that comply with the ISO standard. The profile of potential chassis applications in PLS can be expanded to include: support for road construction and repair, emergency rescue and firefighting tasks, etc. building components. In the latter case, we are talking about integration with EMM (Mission Engineering Modules), including: a concrete mixer, a field fuel distributor, a water distributor, a bitumen distribution module or a dump truck. The EMM on a vehicle functions just like any other container, but can be connected to the vehicle's electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems. From the comfort of the cab, the operator can complete a loading or unloading cycle in less than a minute, and trucks and trailers in less than five minutes, improving mission efficiency and operational safety by reducing personnel workload and reducing personnel risk.