Oshkosh Truck Corp. said defense sales made up more than a third of the company’s $1.9 billion in total annual sales last year. Military truck sales were up 10% to $657 million.

Robert Bohn, chairman and CEO, said defense sales were "the powerhouse behind our sales and earnings performance in the later part of fiscal 2003."
An increase in business, including a recent contract to rebuild Army trucks and trailers, prompted the company to revise an earlier defense sales estimate for this year.
The firm had estimated its defense sales would be down 11% this year, consistent with government contracts. Now the company expects nearly flat sales.
This spring, Oshkosh could learn whether it has won a contract to supply about 8,500 vehicles for the British Ministry of Defense.
The company is also waiting to hear whether the U.S. Marine Corps will provide $30 million for vehicle replacements this year.
"Our defense business is at record levels," Bohn said. "The emergence of new requirements generated by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan holds long-term potential, depending on federal funding."
The company estimates it will increase earnings per share by nearly 30% to $2.80 in 2004.