A few years back, Mack Defense, the defense-contracting arm of Mack Trucks, built several prototype M915 military-grade linehaul tractors (pictured), based on the OEM’s Granite chassis, to compete for a U.S. Army vehicle contract that never got off the ground. Nonetheless, this advanced armored vehicle sure caught the eye of filmmakers, who adapted one to play the role of the nefarious “Megatron” in the third installment of the Transformers movie series.
Charles “Chuck” Wissinger, marketing manager for Mack Defense, told Fleet Owner that the primary stated mission of the M915 tractor is to haul fuel trailers and bulk material on flatbeds in combat zones.
Mack has also found that its M915 prototypes are popular attractions at the company’s Customer Center in Allentown, PA. And the production lessons learned during the program are now being applied to another military-vehicle effort, the designing of armored 8x8 versions of the Granite to serve as replacements for the Army’s heavy-dump truck fleet.
