The U.S. Army extended an order to GM Defense LLC for full-rate production of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), a high-speed, all-terrain troop carrier designed for Brigade Combat Teams (up to nine passengers) and their equipment, with a payload of 3,200 lbs.
The Army stated that the FRP decision followed GM’s completion of production qualification testing and transportability certification.
GM Defense won an initial, $214.3-million contract in June 2020 to develop the ISV, and more than 300 of them have been produced to date – some of which are in service with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions. Neither GM nor the Army has reported the full projected value of the FRP order.
The initial contract was the first major award for GM Defense when it was reestablished as a General Motors subsidiary in 2017.
“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,” stated GM Defense president Steve duMont. “Achieving the ISV full-rate production decision strengthens our credibility and amplifies the success of our manufacturing processes.”
Last year, GM Defense inaugurated an assembly line in Concord, N.C., for manufacturing the ISV, which is a design based on the Chevy Colorado ZR2 midsize pickup truck – including a Duramax 2.8L I-4 LWN engine and 6-speed automatic 4WD transmission – and modified with 90% commercial-off-the-shelf parts.
The Army set an acquisition target of 2,065 vehicles for its Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, with the initial (2020) contract covering a total of 649 vehicles.
According to GM, the initial ISV design has been expanded to include variants that can be configured for different 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,” stated Rick Kewley, GM Defense v.p. 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.”
