LISLE, Ill., March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Navistar Defense, LLC today announced it has submitted a bid to compete for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. The company will bid with a variant of its International® Saratoga™ light tactical vehicle, which Navistar launched in October after conducting its own automotive and blast testing.

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Channeling Navistar's commercial background, the Saratoga was originally designed to target a gap in the light tactical vehicle market. Its flexible platform is derived from an integration strategy that allows the company to rapidly develop new vehicle variants to meet different customer needs while keeping investment costs low.

"We made a significant investment in developing the Saratoga on our own nickel because that's what we do commercially – it is part of our DNA," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "The Saratoga is a solid design and now that we have seen the requirements of the JLTV migrate toward our vehicle capabilities, we are in a position to modify the Saratoga to fit those requirements."

The Saratoga light tactical vehicle has a high degree of commonality with fielded vehicles and incorporates Navistar's automotive and manufacturing expertise. The company has also designed and tested its own proprietary survivability solution for the vehicle, which considers material mix, vehicle structure and hull shape.

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International® brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForce® brand diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses, Monaco® RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse® brand chassis for motor homes and step vans. It also is a private-label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. The company also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com/newsroom.