The US Army Contracting Command–Detroit Arsenal has awarded GM Defense LLC a $214.3 million production contract for the service’s new infantry squad vehicle (ISV).
The total production ISV contract award is for the procurement of the initial Army procurement objective of 649. The service expects to buy a total of 2,065 vehicles.
Intended to transport a nine-soldier infantry squad moving throughout the battlefield, the 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.
GM Defense’s solution to the Army’s transportation needs is based off the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 90 percent commercial off-the-shelf parts. These parts include the Multimatic dual spool-valve dampers and Chevrolet Performance suspension components.
According to the company, all ISV models will be equipped with an occupant and cargo superstructure powered by a 186-horsepower, 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel engine, and six-speed automatic transmission.
In 2019, GM Defense partnered with Ricardo Defense after the US Army awarded three $1 million contracts to competing industry providers to develop ISV prototypes for testing, evaluation and down-selection for the production contract. Ricardo Defense will support key product logistics and fielding requirements of the GM Defense ISV.
“The entire Ricardo team is proud to continue our work with GM Defense on the ISV contract, and to provide our infantry troops in harm’s way with this highly-capable, and much needed vehicle,” said Chet Gryczan, president of Ricardo Defense. “The ISV will showcase the speed at which the Army can rapidly produce, field and sustain new equipment by leveraging a proven commercially available vehicle and the global supply chain infrastructure of General Motors, supported by Ricardo.”
