General Motors isn’t just about electric vehicles, massive family haulers, driverless technology, and trucks. They’re also in the defense business. Today, GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, delivered its first Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) to the U.S. Army.
In June, the military awarded GM a $214.3 million contract to manufacture 649 ISVs with an additional authorization for up to 2.065 over eight years. This is the first major award and delivery for GM Defense since it was reestablished as a subsidiary in 2017.
“One hundred and twenty days from contract award to delivery is a significant milestone, and I am very proud of the team for this accomplishment,” said David Albritton, president of GM Defense. “We’re leveraging General Motors’ engineering prowess and immense manufacturing capabilities to bring transformative solutions to the military vehicle market. Our initial success with the ISV shows our commitment to our customer and highlights our unique right to win in the military mobility market.”
The ISV is a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier. It’s designed to transport a nine-soldier infantry squad and their equipment in a variety of theaters. It is based on the midsize truck architecture of the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. Ninety percent of its parts are off-the-shelf from GM commercial models, including Multimatic dual spool-valve dampers and Chevrolet Performance suspension components.
GM has extensively tried the performance components, not just as part of the traditional equipment set of the Colorado ZR2 the average customer buys, but also in the Best in the Desert race series. This fits with the terrain the infantry frequently finds itself in. Most of the large scale conflicts the military has been involved with in the last two decades have been in areas of the world with desert climates and dirt-filled primitive landscape.
The model’s comparatively low weight allows it to be slightly loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. It is compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
All ISVs are powered by a 186-horsepower 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel engine, which is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
GM Defense has a teaming agreement with Ricardo Defense, which will lead the Integrated Product Support for the ISV, including technical manual development, new equipment training, provisioning, total package fielding and field service support.
