First GM Infantry Squad Vehicle delivered to the U.S. Army
The first GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle was just delivered to the U.S. Army. With that delivery, we gain our first chance at seeing the final production truck. On the surface, it largely looks like the same truck that GM originally previewed for us.
Most shocking of all is the time it took GM to develop this truck. It took GM only 120 days from contract award to delivery of the first finished ISV. That’s blindingly quick when it comes to vehicle development. Of course, developing a truck for a squad of soldiers is very different than developing it for families to drive to the grocery store.
“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.”
You can find a much deeper dive into the details of this truck in our original story here. In short, it’s based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 that uses 90% commercial parts, some of which are from Chevrolet Performance. It’s designed to be light enough to hang under a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and small enough to be loaded inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. A number of changes were made from concept to production as GM worked with the military to make it a reality.
“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 will ultimately deliver 649 of these ISVs to the U.S. Army.
