Oshkosh Scores $438M Pentagon Deal

OSHKOSH, Wisc. (TheStreet) -- The Pentagon has again increased the number of specialty fighting vehicles it will purchase from truck-maker Oshkosh(OSK Quote).

The order is for an additional 1,000 trucks and is worth $438 million, the company said Wednesday. Including the newest award, Oshkosh has now pulled $3.2 billion in deals with the U.S. military for a total of 6,219 vehicles.

Oshkosh, which first won the Pentagon contract in June, has benefited from the heightening of the war in Afghanistan. Last month, it reported a strong third quarter on the back of its defense business, which has helped buoy the company following a collapse in demand for its construction-equipment segments amid the recession.

Known as MRAPs (short for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), the trucks were specifically designed to withstand the kinds of homemade bombs, or improvised explosive devices, used by insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. To deal with the latter's mountainous terrain, the Oshkosh version of the MRAP is lighter and has a more heavy-duty suspension system than the MRAPs used in Iraq.