The M1070 was proposed by the
Oshkosh Truck Corporation to meet a U.S. Army requirement for the transport of the
M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT). A contract for 1,044 M1070 was placed, with production commencing in July 1992. The contract included an option for 522 additional units. The final U.S. Army contract for the original A0 version called for an additional 195 vehicles. These were delivered between March 2001 and March 2003, bringing total U.S. Army deliveries of A0 versions to 2,488. Solicitation W56HZV-17-R-0021 released in February 2017 and with responses due by April 2017 will result in a firm-fixed-price contract for 46 M1070A1 for Egypt. In July 2017, and following a report to congress in June 2017 under solicitation number W56HZV-17-R-0167, the U.S. Army released a Sources Sought Market Survey regarding the Heavy Equipment Transporter Urban Survivability Kit (HUSK). In May 2013 an Acquisition Decision Memorandum authorised the U.S. Army to develop and acquire armoured replaceable cabs for the M1070A1, this leading to the HUSK. Survivability features of the HUSK were to include energy attenuating seats, a floating floor, blast-mitigating floor mats, and an automatic fire extinguishing system. HUSK armour and survivability testing occurred at Aberdeen Proving Ground during 2016. A decision regarding government contract or contract with industry for the production award was anticipated during FY 2018. As of late 2020 the HUSK was being produced by Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center. Numbers involved had not been disclosed. The three-year Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV) 4 contract extension awarded to Oshkosh by the U.S. Army in May 2021 technically allows for the provision of new and Recapitalized M1070 HETs alongside HEMTTs, and PLS trucks and trailers.
M1300 The M1300 is a M1070A1 revised for use within Europe by the U.S. Army. The need for the M1300 formally emerged after the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) issued an Operational Needs Statement (ONS) for the M1300-supplied transport capability, which Army headquarters had validated in April 2017. From that month through September 2017, the Product Manager for Heavy Tactical Vehicle developed multiple courses of actions that included the development and procurement of a new tractor, leasing tractors outside the US, or ‘enhancing’ the current M1070A1 HET tractor fleet. In December 2017, the Army Requirements Oversight Council validated the requirement. In January 2018 the service directed the procurement of 170 capability enhanced M1070A1 HET tractors, referred to as ‘rebaselined’ and designated M1300. The M1300 requirement was driven by a need to transport heavier loads within Europe, while complying with European Union (EU) standards. Projected payloads for the M1300 and semi-trailer were stated to be a minimum of 82 tonnes and up to 90 tonnes (74,389 to 81,647 kg). To achieve this, the tractor required some weight redistribution from the front axle and a new multi-axle semi-trailer. Oshkosh began working on the M1300 tractor in April 2018 and was scheduled to continue through to April 2020. As Oshkosh is the sole developer of the M1070A1 and owns the technical data package (TDP), it was, according to the Army, the only source possessing the requisite knowledge, facilities, tooling, and expertise to perform the capability enhancements required. Any other source, through a competitive procurement, to reverse engineer, test and evaluate and then commence initial delivery would require a minimum of 27 months, therefore missing the timeline directive of the ONS. In May 2019 Oshkosh announced that the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) had awarded the company and partner, Broshuis BV, a contract to produce semitrailers for the M1300. The contract, initially awarded at US$13.3 million, has a maximum value of US$109.8 million and calls for 170 semitrailers to be delivered between fiscal years (FYs) 2020 and 2021. The U.S. Army's selection came after two prototypes successfully completed a three-month test and evaluation phase at Aberdeen Test Centre in Maryland, US. ;Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter System (EHETS) The Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter System (EHETS) is considered the replacement for the M1070/M1070A1/M1300 in U.S. Army service. The U.S. Army announced in July 2016 that it wished to use FY 2016 funds to start an engineering study into an EHET that would replace the M1070A1 and M1000 semi-trailers. This study had previously been slated to commence in FY 2017. The intent was that the EHETS would comprise a tractor and semi-trailer to transport, recover, and evacuate a +80 tonne (72,575 kg) combat loaded M1 Abrams and associated M88 recovery system, which was anticipated to weigh more than 84,000 kg. The M1070A1 and M1000 are technically unable to transport such loads. Under Solicitation Number W56HZV-18-R-0190, the U.S. Army issued a Sources Sought notice for EHETS in September 2018. Under Solicitation Number W56HZV-18-R-0190, the U.S. Army in September 2018 announced an EHETS Industry Day to be held in October 2018. In April 2020 the U.S. Army under notice ID PANDTA-20-P-0000-007236 announced an EHETS contract opportunity Request for Information (RfI) as a Special Notice. The purpose of the RfI is to assess the marketplace availability and industry capabilities for providing an EHETS Trailer. The proposed EHETS Trailer solution is to be a trailer capable of transporting a payload of both 85 tonnes and 82 tonnes while meeting European Highway Axle Restrictions for road permits. The army is interested in contracting directly with trailer manufacturers as the prime contractor. As of November 2020 the U.S. Army stated that it was working towards a future solicitation and intended to move forward with additional EHETS procurement beginning in FY 2022. The M1300/M1302 procurement for Europe covered in the previous sub-section will fulfill a portion of the overall EHETS procurement. ==Technical description==