GM Defense Gets US Army OK for Infantry Squad Vehicle

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle

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GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors (NYSE: GM), said today that the U.S. Army provided a full-rate production decision for the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV). GM Defense won the initial $214.3 million contract to develop the light and agile all-terrain troop carrier to transport a nine-Soldier infantry squad and their equipment in June 2020. GM Defense is manufacturing 649 ISVs with the ability to support the production of more than 2593 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years.

“We do not anticipate changes in production volume through September 2023,” said a GM Defense spokesperson. “Achieving full rate production affirms the engineering and manufacturing processes that support the Infantry Squad Vehicle are meeting our U.S. Army customer needs and that production can be scaled to meet increased demand in the future. This important milestone adds credibility to the ISV program and validates our continued efforts to successfully deliver advanced commercial technologies to soldiers.”

The ISV is based off the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 mid-size truck architecture and uses 90% 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 vehicle is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and can fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transport.

“I’m proud of the GM Defense team for reaching this important milestone in the Infantry Squad Vehicle program and am thankful for the close relationship we maintain with our trusted U.S. Army program office customer,” said Steve duMont, GM Defense president. “Achieving the ISV full-rate production decision strengthens our credibility and amplifies the success of our manufacturing processes. By working in close collaboration with our customer, we have delivered more than 300 vehicles to our U.S. Army customer with many already fielded to the Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.”

GM Defense claims it has demonstrated the adaptability of the ISV by expanding the initial nine- passenger troop carrier into a family of vehicles. The GM Defense-produced ISV variants offer configurable vehicles adapted for a broad range of mission profiles, including fire support, command and control, electronic warfare, counter-unmanned aircraft systems, reconnaissance and logistics, and casualty evacuation.

“Our flexibility during the pursuit of the ISV helped us win the early stages of the contract award and has since played a pivotal role in delivering the best value solution to the U.S. Army,” said Rick Kewley, GM Defense vice president of Product Development and Advanced Engineering. “Not only did customer feedback make the ISV better at an accelerated pace, but it also helped us bring to bear the engineering and manufacturing expertise from our parent company, General Motors, to add new capabilities while fulfilling the Army’s design and performance requirements. We remain confident in our ability to meet higher production quantities in the future.”

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