Cummins previews new military powertrain in Washington DC

Cummins is unveiling a new prototype drivetrain for military applications, a project that grew from the acquisition of Meritor last year.

According to the Columbus-based engine manufacturer, the drivetrain is being unveiled this week at the annual Association of the United States Army Conference in Washington D.C. The proof of concept design is engineered specifically for wheeled defense vehicles and features the Cummins L9 engine.

The former Meritor Defense, now Cummins-Meritor, has been serving the defense market since the early 1900s, said Jim Keane, Cummins’ executive director of Global Product Solutions for the Cummins-Meritor business unit. He said Meritor offered “the leading drivetrain components available to defense applications.” Those systems are now being combined with Cummins power to offer “customers the most comprehensive portfolio of power generation and power distribution solutions available.”

The Cummins display at the conference also includes the Power Generation business unit’s Tactical Energy Storage System as well as the Advance Combat Engine and V903 engine.

Cummins acquired Meritor, which was formerly based in Columbus as Arvin Meritor, in 2022, in what was reported at the time as a deal worth about $3.7 billion dollars.