The Marine Corps’ Medium Tactical Truck program is in its prototyping phase, but only one of the two original equipment manufacturers is still on track to deliver their vehicles for testing in 2026.
Designed to replace the service’s Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement fleet, the Medium Tactical Truck program is intended to prioritize mobility, energy efficiency and operational flexibility, according to a press release from ND Defense. Mack Defense and ND Defense — formerly Navistar Defense — have been tapped to design and build prototypes.
With emphasis on modularity, the Medium Tactical Truck incorporates “an open systems architecture that enables future autonomous capabilities and technology integration,” with requirements including hybrid-electric capability, extended range, improved off-road performance and the ability to support multiple cargo bed configurations, according to the press release.
However, the program’s future remains uncertain.
The Marine Corps issued a stop work order to ND Defense sometime before late October, the company confirmed in an email. Both the Marines and the company did not comment on exactly when.
David Jordan, a spokesman for Program Executive Office Land Systems, declined to offer any additional information regarding the order and the future of the program, but maintained in statements to National Defense that it is “executing per plan” and that the service’s priorities “align with the current MTT prototype Other Transaction Authority.”
The Marines awarded a contract for the program to the two original equipment manufacturers in early 2024. After a critical design review in December 2024, the Marines issued both Mack Defense and ND Defense a phase two prototyping contract.
Both companies were commissioned to design and assemble two Medium Tactical Truck prototypes, conduct contractor tests and deliver them to the Marines for testing by mid-2026.
The program is not being restructured or canceled, and Mack Defense did not receive a stop work order, according to David Hartzell, president and CEO of Mack Defense. The company remains on track to deliver two prototypes to the Marines for testing in the third calendar quarter of 2026. The prototype vehicles are undergoing comprehensive contractor performance testing at the Nevada Automotive Test Center in Silver Springs, Nevada.
“The program is on track for completion of prototype build, contractor testing by Mack Defense and the planned testing by the [Marine Corps] after the completion of the contractor testing,” Hartzell said in an email.
In October, Hartzell told reporters on the sidelines of the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting that Mack Defense was “in the process of building those prototypes,” and “we’re starting to do our own contractor-level testing, and then … mid-2026, we will turn those over to the Marine Corps, and then they’re going to start doing their own testing.”
ND Defense said last May — following prototype delivery — the Marine Corps would conduct an eight-month test period, extending into early 2027. The Marines did not comment on whether or not this timeline has changed.
In late December, Marine officials visited a Mack Defense site to review the final prototype designs, accept two prototype articles for testing in 2026 and discuss the overall status of the program to date.
The visit “went well,” and officials were “very happy and impressed” with the prototypes, Hartzell said.
“The whole basis of this program, again, is the Marine Corps is looking to see what is the realm of possibility in terms of able technology that could be applicable to the next generation medium tactical truck,” he said. “And we’re looking to inform their final requirements. And at some point, hopefully they will take that and turn around and do a production competition for that next generation.”
The prototype phase includes the development of two variants: a 4×4 configuration featuring a 10-foot cargo bed and a 6×6 configuration with a 20-foot cargo bed. The prototypes are based on Mack’s Granite commercial vehicle but designed to meet the Marines’ specific requirements, according to a Mack Defense release.
Mack Defense is integrating its commercial technology into the military platform, including advanced driver assistance features, enhanced traction control and anti-lock brakes, as well as hybrid-electric technology for improved fuel efficiency, according to the company.
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This effort was sponsored by the U.S. Government under Other Transaction Authority number W15QKN-17-9-1025 with the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, Inc. (NAMC). Reference herein to any specific commercial company, product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or the Department of the Army (DA). The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, the DA, or the National Advanced Mobility Consortium, Inc., and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. For more information, please visit www.namcconsortium.org.