GM Defense, a subsidiary of Detroit’s General Motors Co., today delivered the first of nearly 650 Infantry Squad Vehicles to the U.S. Army, part of a $214-million contract awarded in June.
ISV is a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier intended to transport a nine-soldier infantry squad and their equipment. GM Defense also will support the production of up to 2,065 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years.
“We’re leveraging General Motors’ engineering prowess and immense manufacturing capabilities to bring transformative solutions to the military vehicle market,” says David Albritton, president of GM Defense. “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 based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 90 percent proven commercial-off-the-shelf parts, including Chevrolet Performance race components.
The 5,000-pound ISV was engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability. The COTS parts, combined with the ISV’s rollover protection system, is expected to provide agile transportability on the battlefield to support mission success.
“The value we bring to our Army customer is our willingness to listen and adapt,” says Mark Dickens, chief engineer at GM Defense. “During soldier testing, the feedback we received was paramount in delivering a vehicle that met soldiers’ needs, while maximizing safety and performance and taking their comfort into consideration. The production ISV we’re delivering today is an evolution from our original prototype design, and it’s certainly a vehicle that is a source of pride for the team.”
GM Defense has an 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.
