The U.S. company Mack Defense has announced a new contract to continue production of the M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck (HDT) for the U.S. Army. Derik Beck, senior director of sales, marketing, and business development at Mack Defense, spoke with Zona Militar about this contract and company’s other projects.
The new contract involves the potential construction of up to 450 trucks with a total contract value of up to US$221.8 million; this contract is a follow-up to a 2018 award, for as many as 683 trucks at a value of up to US$296 million. So far, the U.S. military has ordered 549 HDTs from Mack Defense; in March 2025, the company celebrated the production of the 500th heavy dump truck.
In an 11 August press release, the company explained that the M917A3 HDT has “a vital role in supporting construction and upkeep of airfields, roadways, landing strips, supply facilities, motor pools, and in disaster relief for areas affected by severe weather.” The M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck is an “essential” asset to the U.S. Army’s Engineer Regiment, Mack Defense explained.
Beck told ZM, “the Army’s new Heavy Dump Truck contract with Mack Defense underscores the confidence placed in our ability to adapt a commercial platform for military applications.” He added, that the HDT was “built to meet or exceed the Army’s requirements,” as the “M917A3 also enhances soldier comfort and integrates added safety features—ensuring both performance and protection in the field.”
The HDT is an 8×8 vehicle with 93 gallons of fuel and a max power of 440 HP. The vehicle has heavy-duty rear axles, all-wheel drive, and increased ride height suspension to “provide the Army with a heavy dump truck to meet their demanding payload and mobility requirements.” The vehicle can carry up to 27 tons of payload. The company has also developed a 6×6 variant.
Besides the contract with the U.S. Army, Mack Defense announced in May a contract for the U.S. Marine Corps to produce two prototypes for the Medium Tactical Truck (MTT). The new family of vehicles will replace the Marine Corps’ Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) fleet, “which includes cargo, dump, wrecker, tractor and re-supply trucks supporting air-ground task force combat support missions,” Mack Defense explained in a statement. The service is looking for cargo variants consisting of 10-, 15-, and 20-foot (3, 4.5, and 6 meters, respectively) cargo bed configurations with hybrid-electric technology for reduced fuel consumption, extended range, and reduced noise.
Construction of the prototypes will begin in the second half of 2025, with completion targeted for early fall. Afterwards, the vehicles will undergo performance testing at the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) in the first half of 2026; when the testing is done, they will be delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.
Beck confirmed to ZM, “our two prototype builds are coming along very well, and we will complete the builds this fall, at which time the Marine Corps customer will come to our facility for inspection of those assets.” As for the vehicle’s specifications, the company executive added “we can share that our prototype vehicles meet all the initial development requirements,” including those for hybrid-electric technology for reduced fuel consumption, extended range and reduced noise for silent watch, 70 percent off-road and 30% on-road mission profile, 60-inch (152 cm) fording capability and onboard and exportable power.
The exportable power was an issue raised by ZM, as it has become quite common for third party payloads, like counter-drone systems, to be integrated aboard vehicles. For example, Polaris has commenced production of the new MRZR Alpha vehicle with one kilowatt of exportable power. Adding energy export capabilities to the MTT prototypes will allow the U.S. Marines to add third-party payloads to expand mission capabilities.
Looking to the future, the company teased ZM about upcoming orders and potential new announcements at the upcoming Association of the United States Army (AUSA) expo in Washington, DC, this October. As for the Latin American defense market, ZM asked if there are any upcoming contracts or deliveries that Mack Defense can discuss. “We regularly support allied forces, and there are opportunities in Latin America, but it’s too early to discuss those developments,” Beck said.
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