Aviation Ability and Amazing Auxiliaries

It is hard to believe that it is more than two years since Oshkosh, leading global producer of ARFF (Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting) vehicles, began the Production and Deployment Phase of the P-19R for the US Marine Corps (USMC). The P-19R contract was awarded to Oshkosh in 2013 and will continue until 2018.

The P-19R ARFFs replaced the 19-A fleet which, after a successful service life since deployment in 1984. Oshkosh successfully fully completed all of the necessary developmental testing required to achieve Milestone C approval and the ARFFs were delivered to USMC. They quickly became a full-time part of the force and the crew would find it impossible to imagine life without them, even though the vehicles have been around for such a relatively short time.

The features that make the vehicle so special are manifold, and include:

• Superior handling capability both on- and off-road
• The innovative TAK-4 independent suspension system for the smoothest ride
• Massive 600 horsepower engine for unprecedented performance levels and high speeds
• Payload capacity to support 1,000 gallons of water, 130 gallons of firefighting foam and 500 lb of auxiliary firefighting agents
• The Command Zone system – a fully-integrated diagnostics system offering immediate, real-time performance information for stress-free troubleshooting and repair

The marines of USMC are involved with a range of firefighting and rescue missions that demand the very highest levels of performance from ARFFs. The Oshkosh P-19R is designed to easily meet and exceed the many demands placed upon it – the first of the LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) will be delivered in November to support PVT (Production Verification Testing).

John Bryant, the Senior Vice-President of Defence Programmes at Oshkosh, said that the P-19R is “backed by our company’s unique combination of industry leading off-road military vehicle and ARFF expertise”, making it suitable use from “an expeditionary airfield or a military base”. The programme has been delivered consistent with the company’s “strong track record of delivering programmes on-schedule and on-budget; we’re proud to deliver the new P-19R capabilities and safety that marines need for future fire-emergency missions”, he said.

Terberg DTS are extremely proud to supply ARFFs from world-renowned Oshkosh. Check out our recent articles which feature details of the Oshkosh Storm and Striker vehicles and call our fire engine sales team for more information.