UPDATE 1-Oshkosh gets $438 mln US order, Gates to visit

* Oshkosh praised by officials for production effort

* Defense Secretary Gates vising plant on Thursday

* Shares close 3.2 pct higher, up 353 pct this year (Adds detail on medium truck contract challenge; updates share movement)

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Oshkosh Corp (OSK.N), ahead of a congratulatory visit from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said on Wednesday it had received a fresh, $438 million order for Afghanistan-bound armored trucks.

The order, the fifth in a series, was for 1,000 all-terrain vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs and handle Afghanistan's rugged countryside, a company statement said.

Gates is to visit Oshkosh's manufacturing plant on Thursday, in the Wisconsin city from which it takes its name, to showcase its work on what the Pentagon calls the urgently needed mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs.

The Defense Department is highlighting the company as an example of efficient, scalable production as it pushes other military contractors to do better at equipping U.S. forces for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The secretary wants to thank the workers there for doing everything they can to expedite the production of this life-saving vehicle," Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said last week.

Oshkosh's production boost, from 46 of the armored, off-road trucks in July to a scheduled 1,000 per month in December, is "an amazing display of industry and dedication to the war effort," Morrell said.

Including the latest award, Oshkosh is now set to deliver a total of 6,219 of the vehicles for a total of more than $3.2 billion, the company said on Wednesday.

Oshkosh received the initial award for the so-called MRAP All Terrain vehicle on June 30.

The company said on Tuesday it had beat MRAP-ATV delivery requirements for the fourth month in a row and was on schedule to deliver 1,000 a month in December.

The first seven of the vehicles were shipped to Afghanistan in September. The Pentagon, concerned by the growing toll of roadside bombs on troops in Afghanistan, is now flying them in to get them there faster.

The company also won a potential $3.5 billion U.S. Army contract in August to build mid-size supply trucks.

However, BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L), the incumbent and larger manufacturer, and Navistar International Corp (NAV.N), another rival, have formally challenged that award known as the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles.

Oshkosh Chief Executive Robert Bohn said last week the company expected the contract award to withstand the protests. The Government Accountability Office, Congress's audit and investigative arm, is due to rule on the matter by Dec. 14.

Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, voiced concern last week about protests' becoming "common or routine."

Carter spoke at a Pentagon event featuring one of the new Oshkosh trucks bound for Afghanistan. He did not address the specifics of the BAE protest, but praised Oshkosh's performance on the MRAP-ATV contract, contrasting it with programs that may take a decade or more to get new weapons to U.S. forces.

Oshkosh shares closed up 3.2 percent at $40.25 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Since the start of the year, the shares have risen 353 percent. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)