What will be the next Humvee?

The replacement for the U.S. military’s iconic Humvee isn’t set to enter production until 2015, but the competition for what could end up being a $20 billion contract is heating up. There are six proposals to be the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle currently in contention, but that will be whittled down to three in the coming weeks. The criteria for the thoroughly modern trucks requires them to be armored; fitted with jam-proof doors; transportable by air, land and sea; able to be configured for a variety of uses including reconnaissance, carrying heavy guns and as utility vehicles; capable of running with damage to the fuel tank, oil pan or coolant system; have an automatic fire-extinguishing system and at least two run-flat tires. The price target is $250,000 per vehicle. Click through for a look at these fighting machines.

AM General built the Humvee and is proposing to replace it with the BRV-O, or Blast Resistant Vehicle - Off Road. It features a fuel-efficient six-cylinder engine with six-speed automatic transmission, self-leveling suspension and "clustered super-computing power."

AM General has also teamed up with General Dynamics to create the General Tactical Vehicles Eagle, an updated version of a vehicle already used by German forces that features a blast-resistant V-shaped hull.

Lockheed calls it the Joint Warfighter, and it features a V-shaped hull, uses a Cummins diesel engine and armor provided by BAE Systems.

BAE System's own entry is called the Valanx and has a little bit of NASCAR in it. Powered by a version of the 6.7-liter Ford turbodiesel engine found in the company's Super Duty pickup trucks, some of the engineering work on the vehicle was done by Roush Performance, the same folks behind the Sprint Cup cars of the likes of Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. (©Peter C. Commandeur, all rights reserved.)

The Saratoga looks the most like the current Humvee, has a central tire inflation system and is powered by the aptly named MaxxForce 6.0-liter diesel V8 engine.

The entry from Oshkosh is a version of the Light Combat Tactical Vehicle concept that competed in the 2010 Baja 1000 off-road race. The company says it offers MRAP levels of protection against explosive devices and can be available in a diesel-electric hybrid version.