ALLENTOWN, PA – Mack Defense announced today that it will show a classic Mack® AC at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2023 Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 9 –11, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
The Mack AC model is a heavy cargo truck that was used extensively during World War I with the British and American forces. Featuring a chain drive rear axle and an uncommon radiator that sat behind the engine, the AC model earned a reputation for toughness on the battlefields of Europe. Its tenacity earned it the nickname “Bulldog” by the British forces, which ultimately led to Mack adopting the Bulldog as its corporate symbol.
“Mack has a long and storied history as a provider of military vehicles to the U.S. Armed Forces,” said David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense. “The AC model on display in the Mack Defense booth is not only an example of the truck that inspired our Bulldog symbol, but its performance on the battlefield earned the reputation for durability and reliability that we still celebrate more than 100 years later.”
On loan from the Mack Trucks Historical Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the 1927 Mack AC model featured in the Mack Defense display in Halls D&E, Booth 8333 is a five-ton heavy truck powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers 69 horsepower to the rear wheels. The truck was delivered to Ayer & McKinney of New York City on April 30, 1927.
Mack Defense announced earlier this year that it received an additional order for 135 M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs), which is part of a firm-fixed price $296 million contract over seven years awarded by the Army in 2018. With that order, 60 HDTs are being purchased by the U.S. Army Reserve, 74 are being funded by the Presidential budget and one is being purchased by the U.S. Navy. With this tranche, a total of 446 HDTs have been ordered to date.
In addition, Mack Defense is one of four finalists for the U.S. Army’s Common Tactical Truck (CTT) program and will be delivering three prototype vehicles by January 2024. The prototypes will be tested and evaluated to determine the final requirements for the next generation of trucks to ultimately begin modernization and replacement of the Army’s fleet of approximately 35,000 heavy tactical trucks, which perform a wide range of combat logistics and support missions.
