In the late 1980s, the U.S. Army sought a replacement for its aging fleet of M809 trucks. While less flashy or headline-grabbing than a new tank, trucks are the backbone of the U.S. Army, moving soldiers, ammunition, fuel, food, supplies, and everything else needed in a war. The Army’s new truck needed to be reliable, efficient, transportable, easy to maintain and low-cost. Showing the importance of the task, a months-long grueling series of selection trials were held. Eventually, an Austrian Steyr design was selected as the winner, and Stewart & Stevenson was awarded the contract to build both the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) and the larger Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV). The LMTV was a serious departure from the U.S. Army’s previous and antiquated trucks. Its cab-over design made it smaller and more maneuverable. And it achieved a 2.5-ton payload rating with only two axles making it less cumbersome than 6x6s. Thousands of Stewart & Stevenson LMTVs saw use in Iraq, Afghanistan and worldwide, with Oshkosh eventually taking over its production in 2012.