US Army Unveils New Infantry Squad Vehicle Based On Chevy Pickup

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GM Defense is using the Chevy Colorado ZR2 as a basis for a vehicle that can be dropped from an aircraft and transport up to nine soldiers at a time.

The incredibly light vehicle is designed to get soldiers out of battlegrounds quickly. However, because of the speed of the vehicle, armour has been sacrificed, leading to some concerns about the protection the vehicle will offer. It has been noted that those in the vehicle will be exposed to incoming fire, but it seems that the US military believes the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is ideal for its purpose.

Primarily, the vehicle will act as a shuttle to get soldiers where they need to be without walking the remainder of their journey. With that in mind, it is understandable that the vehicle is somewhat bare-bones in terms of protection. The vehicle will also deliver the same performance as the Chevy Colorado ZR2, with its 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel engine delivering 186 horsepower.
The ISV uses 90% commercial parts and it seems to be an effective vehicle, as the initial military contract for 649 ISVs is expected to increase to more than 2,000 in the coming years. The production of the vehicles has also been a quick process, and the 649 vehicles have been delivered in 120 days despite the initial contract covering a four-year period.

On top of the quick production time, on the company’s website GM Defense President David Albritton has highlighted what makes the vehicles an important addition to the US Army:

Our ISV entry is a fully-integrated platform that leverages decades of GM’s engineering, manufacturing and quality expertise at scale to provide the most cost-efficient, reliable and effective answer possible to meet and exceed the Army’s demanding requirements
We’re very proud of the opportunity to move forward in this competition and continue our development of a vehicle that will enable Army units to move around the battlefield with greater ease and reliability.

This vehicle looks set to become relatively common in the US Army, with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team set to receive the first batch and 11 infantry brigade units receiving 59 vehicles each in the future.

US Army Unveils New Infantry Squad Vehicle Based On Chevy Pickup

GM Defense is using the Chevy Colorado ZR2 as a basis for a vehicle that can be dropped from an aircraft and transport up to nine soldiers at a time. The incredibly light vehicle is designed to get soldiers out of battlegrounds quickly. However, because of the speed of the vehicle, armour has...

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