Oshkosh gets $438 mln US order ahead of Gates tour

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Oshkosh Corp (OSK.N), set for a trophy visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said Wednesday it had received a fresh, $438 million order for Afghanistan-bound armored trucks.

The order, the fifth in a series, was for 1,000 more all-terrain vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs and handle Afghanistan's rugged countryside, a company statement said.

Gates is to visit Oshkosh's manufacturing plant Thursday, in the Wisconsin city from which it takes its name, to showcase its work on what the Pentagon calls the urgently needed mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs.

The Defense Department appears eager to highlight the company as a poster child for efficient, scalable production as it pushes other military contractors to do better at equipping U.S. forces for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The secretary wants to thank the workers there for doing everything they can to expedite the production of this life-saving vehicle," Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said last week.

Oshkosh's production ramp-up, from 46 of the armored, off-road trucks in July to a scheduled 1,000 per month in December, is "an amazing display of industry and dedication to the war effort," he said.

Including the latest award, Oshkosh is now set to deliver a total of 6,219 such vehicles for a total of more than $3.2 billion, the company said Wednesday.

Oshkosh received the initial award for the so-called MRAP All Terrain vehicle on June 30.