According to late Tuesday news from the Pentagon, a $1.06 billion Army contract for manufacturing 2,244 off-road terrain trucks – which would equip the ground troops in Afghanistan against roadside bombs - has been secured by Oshkosh Corp.

Confirming the multibillion-dollar Oshkosh deal on its Web site, the US Defense Department said that the Wisconsin-based army vehicle manufacturer beat three of its closest competitors – namely, the Force Protection-General Dynamics’ joint venture; the US ancillary of British defense corporation BAE Systems Plc; and the US blast-proof trucks’ biggie Navistar International.

The new trucks to be manufactured would offer as good a protection against blasts as the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) used in Iraq. The trucks would essentially be MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs), especially designed to be more agile and lighter, thereby offering better maneuverability on the undeveloped, rocky roads of Afghanistan.

Even though Oshkosh CEO Robert Bohn said in an interview that the company would “meet the requirements, everything on the schedule and exceed the expectations of the customer,” it might still consider the prospect of sharing the production of the trucks.

Oshkosh said that at the behest of Pentagon - which has shown urgency for the M-ATVs -, it would approach the losing bidders “to see if they have any interest in subcontracting some of this work or building some components in case we need it.”