OSHKOSH, Wis. — February 28, 2008 — Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), is debuting the first palletized load system (PLS) vehicle dedicated to the recovery of heavy and other difficult-to-recover armored vehicles. The Oshkosh® PLS recovery vehicle (PLS/R) is on display in the Oshkosh booth at the AUSA Winter Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The PLS/R is designed with a towing and recovery device to operate in a tactical environment and recover and evacuate vehicles without causing additional damage to the suspension and axles of heavily armored wheeled vehicles. The Tru-Hitch system, already in service with the U.S. Army, can flat-tow, lift-tow and overturn vehicles stuck in water, mud, sand or snow without causing any additional damage. The vehicle also has equipment and features to assist with maintenance functions.
“The PLS/R from Oshkosh Defense fills a crucial gap facing the military. The PLS/R will help to more quickly and safely remove heavy armored vehicles, and it has equipment to help with maintenance, which is critical to operational readiness.” said John Stoddart, executive vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president, Defense. “This is another example of our commitment to providing uncompromised support for the Soldiers and Marines in the field.”
Maintenance activities for the Oshkosh PLS/R are supported by features like the integrated crane, dual hydraulic winches and storage containers. The heavy-lift crane can help install armor, move engines, tires and turrets.
“The Oshkosh PLS is a highly capable, off-road vehicle already in use with the Army,” said Stoddart. “And it was important to us to design the PLS/R with components, like the Tru-Hitch, that are also combat-proven to create a familiar and highly effective vehicle.”
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, BAI®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline®, SMIT®, Geesink®, Norba®, Kiggen®, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
Oshkosh Corporation Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the company believes are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital spending and debt levels, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” or “believes” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the company’s control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets especially during periods like February 2008 when news reports speculate on the possibility of a U.S. recession; risks related to reductions in government expenditures, the uncertainty of government contracts and the company’s ability to turnaround its Geesink Norba Group business. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
# # #
