GM Defense has been given the go-ahead from the US Army to commence full-rate production of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) that it first unveiled back in 2020.

GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, was awarded the initial $214.3 million contract to develop the light and agile all-terrain troop carrier, thus winning its first major award since the subsidiary was reestablished by its parent company in 2017.

To date, according to the company, by working in close collaboration with the US Army, it has delivered more than 300 vehicles to the US fielding 3 airborne brigades consisting of 59 vehicles, that is, a total of 177 vehicles. 

At the moment, the company is initially building 649 ISVs for the US Army, while the Army’s acquisition objective for the said platform stands at 2,593 vehicles. The program is on track to continue to meet fielding plans, which regard the supply for two Brigades till this June.

The ISV is based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 mid-sized truck chassis and leverages 90% commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, providing users flexibility and optionality in order to outmaneuver support mission requirements. 

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Weighing almost 2,5 tons, the expeditionary ISV is light enough to be either airborne by a UH-60 Blackhawk tactical helicopter or a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter as well as versatile enough to carry up to nine soldiers and their entire gear along with a total payload capacity of 1,5 tons at highway speeds on pavement and off-road under extreme environmental conditions.

In addition to these, the platform is powered by a 2.8-liter Duramax four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 186 hp coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Moreover, the adaptability of the light tactical vehicle in question is profound by the fact that its initial nine-passenger troop carrier can be expanded into a family of 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 as well as casualty evacuation.

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