MILFORD, Mich. — GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, is celebrating the first delivery of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) – a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier intended to transport a nine-Soldier infantry squad and their equipment – to the U.S. Army as part of a $214.3 million contract awarded in June. GM Defense will manufacture 649 ISVs and will support the production of up to 2,065 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years. This is the first major award and delivery for GM Defense since the subsidiary was reestablished by its parent company in 2017.
The ISV is based off the award-winning Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 90 percent proven commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, including Chevrolet Performance race components. The 5,000-pound ISV was uniquely 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 innovative Rollover Protection System, will provide agile transportability on the battlefield to support mission success.
“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 value we bring to our Army customer is our willingness to listen and adapt,” said Mark Dickens, GM Defense chief engineer. “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 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.
“The success of the ISV program within 120 days is a true testament to the hard work and determination of a great partnership between GM Defense and Ricardo Defense,” said Chet Gryczan, president of Ricardo Defense. “Ricardo Defense is proud to be leading the creation and integration of critical ISV logistics products to ensure a successful transition of the ISV to the Army’s inventory.”
GM Defense is driving the future of military mobility by leveraging the best-in-class capabilities of General Motors for unmatched innovation, proven performance and breakthrough life-cycle economics. The ISV will bring world-class manufacturing efficiencies, ease of maintenance and a well-established global supply chain to the U.S. Army.
Stay tuned for future updates on www.GMDefenseLLC.com.
Who wants to take bets on how long it takes before this gets “upgraded” into a 10 ton light armored vehicle, with a turret, and loses half the seats in the process?
At least some, eh, doors and roof, to withstand wind, rain, snow and dust.
Even the original Jeep had tarp roof and doors. Not good, but better than nothing agaisnt the elements.
In the 101st, we never used doors, roof or windshield but it was better than walking…
Unfortunately are probably correct. These new light infantry vehicles need to conceptually thought of as a much faster pair of boots, not as fighting vehicles. This mobility option (and I stress “option”) is critically important enabler that has been the missing piece for decades.
It was lost, when the HMMWV was turned into an amrored car. IMHO ill-advised as the uparmored HMMWVs suck. Too heavy for themselves and less protection than a purpose designed armored car.
Originally the HMMWV was just as naked as this new one or the MUTT or the original Jeep. And intended for the same purpose as the ISV. Okay the ISV has more seats and lacks the ring mount on the roof. But you get the idea.
And as others already wrote, I am sure the good idea fairy is going to add armor plates in the future.
The HMMWV was never intended to transport the Infantry squad except when it was crammed into the role in one division in a failed experiment.
Unfortunately are probably correct. These new light infantry vehicles need to conceptually thought of as a much faster pair of boots, not as fighting vehicles. This mobility option (and I stress “option”) is critically important enabler that has been the missing piece for decades.
I hope these are made better than the piece of shit Canyon they sold me.
Big Green gets an RSOV.
So what unit is getting the first order?
Is it going to be organic to an Infantry BN or assigned to a transportation unit that gets chopped to the Infantry Bn for a mission?
82nd Airborne is getting it first